Meet Danny Djanogly, co-founder and COO of Dogiz

Danny Djanogly was born and raised in London (1990), emigrated to Israel in 2008. Served in the IDF in the infantry for two years. Studied Government & Politics at Reichman University. He later adopted his dog Mufassa when he was in Uni, met Alon in the 'Startup Class'. Moved back to London in 2019 to focus on the UK expansion and growth. Things were going really well until Covid-19, so Danny and Alon pivoted completely and built the new Dogiz app.

What inspired you to launch your business and what is the end goal?

Our dogs! Alon & I met at university in the ‘start-up class’. Neither of us were really interested in a conventional 9-5 lifestyle and we were both inspired by our pups. We wanted to build something that would help other pet owners manage and improve their dog’s lives.

What are your thoughts on failure?

We fail all the time! I think it’s part of the process. I think like everything in life, it’s all about perspective… If you are going to fail… fail fast!  I don’t really believe in failure per se. If you learn from it and it teaches you something you didn’t yet know, then why do people classify that as a failure?! For me, it’s just a lesson learned the hard way! It’s much easier to learn from your ‘failures’ than it is from your ‘successes’.

Working with a co-founder can be tricky, so understanding and compromise is important. How have you both found the process of building a business together? What makes it work?

I am very lucky to say that my co-founder Alon has become one of my closest friends. It definitely makes things easier to have a friend along this crazy journey they call ‘entrepreneurship’ as we both often have to fill different roles for each other and for the business. Sometimes things go wrong, and one is down and depressed, and the other must be more upbeat and positive. Alon’s wife jokes that I am his second wife seeing how often we speak each day! We both have strengths and weaknesses and having someone who balances you out is essential for the long-term. 

How did you fund the business in the early stages?

We won a competition in Google Tel Aviv and received our first $100k investment. Our next $100k investment was from a cold mail I sent to a random investor in Boston who happened to have a dog…. The rest as they say is dogstory!

Any new product launches we should know about?

We have just launched our new product. The new Dogiz platform is designed to motivate and incentivize dog owners to take better care of their dogs! We reward dog owners for being more active with their dogs with Dogiz coins, which they can use as discounts and rewards on premium pet products and services in our Dogiz shop.

We have also developed DR. POOP, the first ever AI visual machine learning technology for instant gastric-fecal checks for dogs. From a simple picture of your dog's poop, we can instantly tell you if everything is healthy, or if there are any causes for concern.

Does your company help the community that you’re located in?

We are passionate about making a PAWsitive impact on our community and helping those less PAWtunate than ourselves. That’s why we have set up the Miles 4 Meals program. For every mile you track through Dogiz, we will donate a meal to a dog shelter. We are committed to helping improve the lives of all dogs!

Why do you think your business has had such a positive impact across your industry?

We want to motivate and incentivise dog owners to take better care of their dogs, by rewarding them with rewards and discounts on premium pet products and services. The cost of living is rising and we want to make it more affordable for pet owners to continue to provide premium products and food for their pups! We are also trying to help educate dog owners to make more informed and better educated decisions about their dog’s health.

What advice would you give to early-stage founders wanting to harness the power of technology to create a positive impact?

There is no reason why you can’t give back to your community in some way or another. You don’t need to be a charity to be able to help others. We are strong believers in profit with purpose. Helping others can often end up helping you and your business in more ways than you can imagine. It helps create a company culture with engrained values that can help motivate and drive your team forward.

How is digitisation empowering your business?

I think it is the future of our business. We have seen the humanization of pets over the last 20 years, with people viewing their pets as beloved members of their families. I believe the future is the digitisation of our pet’s lives to help improve both their quality of life and overall health. We use AI to help dog owners make more informed decisions about their dogs, as well as using crowd sourcing to let you see what products other dogs of similar age/breed are enjoying.

How have you seen the need for richer analytics and data evolve over the years? 

One of the most interesting things we have learned on our journey of working with some of the largest pet brands with over £100m+ in sales, is just how little data they have on their customers and their dogs. Most dog food is purchased from pet shops or supermarkets, leaving the actual food manufacturer in the dark about who their customers really are. Data has become the core value in almost every business and the key driver in trend analysis and company’s decision making. 

Where do you draw your inspiration from to continue pursuing and innovating in the tech space?

Our dogs, our team, and our community! We are very fortunate to work in an industry filled with incredible two-legged & four-legged friends! We are passionate about enriching the lives of our pets (and their owners). We believe that healthy dogs are happy dogs. We want to help motivate you to get fit with your dog and use our tech to give you rewards that will get your pup’s tail wagging!