PHILADELPHIA — Direct-to-consumer (DTC) dog food brand Happy Howl announced a strategic investment from a group of high-impact investors to support its growth and product innovation. 

The round included investment from Mars Companion Fund — the corporate venture arm of Mars Petcare — as well as Michaelson Found Animals, Darco Capital, Visible Ventures and a select group of private investors. The round also included support from a handful of mission-driven angel investors committed to elevating the standard of pet food.

Happy Howl's premium dog food offerings.

| Source: Happy Howl

“This raise is a meaningful milestone for our team and a strong validation of our mission,” said Colin Buckley, founder and chief executive officer of Happy Howl. “We’ve built a brand that dog parents trust, delivering real, gently cooked food with human-grade ingredients — no preservatives, no fillers — just the highest quality meals in a shelf-stable, convenient format. These funds will allow us to scale that promise even further.”

Happy Howl plans to deploy the new capital across several key initiatives, including DTC growth, retail expansion, product portfolio expansion, and investment in research and development (R&D). On the retail side, the brand plans to strengthen its e-commerce infrastructure and scale its customer acquisition strategies to deepen market penetration in DTC, as well as build national retail partnerships to bring its products to more areas. 

Regarding its product portfolio, Happy Howl plans to launch innovative new recipes and formats to meet evolving customer needs. Additionally, it will invest heavily in R&D to push the boundaries of clean-label, shelf-stable dog food

“Our growth is driven not only by our laser-focused team and clear mission, but by an incredibly engaged community of dog parents who are dedicated to improving their dogs’ lives while sharing their stories with us through every step of their journey,” said Josh Pierce, chief growth officer for Happy Howl. “This raise enables us to accelerate that momentum and scale a brand that’s truly resonating.” 

Read more news from pet food manufacturers.