According to an article on Money.com, dog owners are also spending between $1,390 to $4,095 a year on nonessential items.

This includes everything from the usual collars and heartworm medicine to personal trainers and pet insurance. It seems that in 2023, dog owners are really going all out

Pair that with the rise of plant-based foods, and that is where Mahsa Vazin and the team at PawCo Foods come in. 

I sat down with the CEO of PawCo Foods, Mahsa Vazin, Ph.D. to dive into why the Midwest is the perfect breeding ground for D2C companies. 

 She was an early scientist at Impossible Foods and is now building a company in a similar space

Pawco Foods is a direct-to-consumer subscription brand for pet food made from plant-based meat. 

Pawco Foods was part of the IN-Prize pitch competition and was the winner for the Ag & Food category. 

Get IN. is the show focused on the unfolding stories and most extraordinary innovations happening in the heartland today. Get IN. is brought to you by Powderkeg and Elevate Ventures.

In our conversation with Mahsa, you will learn about:

• Keys differences between The Bay Area and Indiana
• Benefits of growing a D2C brand in the Midwest. 
• Why attending conferences like Rally can be a game changer for companies.

This conversation took place at Rally, the Largest Global Cross-Sector Innovation Conference. Rally forges and celebrates cross-sector connections between companies, entrepreneurs, investors and universities from across the globe and features a $5M cash IN-Prize pitch competition, 1:1 investor meetups, a demo arena, content sessions and more. Rally 2024 will take place from August 27-29, 2024 in downtown Indianapolis. Register now for early bird prices.

Get IN. is the show focused on the unfolding stories and most extraordinary innovations happening in the heartland today. The show is hosted by Christopher (Toph) Day, CEO of Elevate Ventures and Matt Hunckler, CEO of Powderkeg. Get IN. is brought to you by Powderkeg and Elevate Ventures.

If you have a chance, please leave an honest rating and review on Apple Podcasts by clicking here. It will help the show and its ranking on Apple Podcasts incredibly! Thank you so much!

Want to get connected with other leaders in the Powderkeg community? 

Are you interested in joining the only private membership network focused on supporting tech companies and executives in communities beyond Silicon Valley? Apply for Powderkeg Premium Membership today.

Interested in starting your own Podcast?

Casted is THE first and only podcast and video marketing platform made SPECIFICALLY for B2B brands. The platform makes it possible to publish, syndicate, amplify, and measure the value of your podcast and video content And if you’re a startup, Casted offers their for Startups program that might be for you — offering exclusive deep discounts of up to 82% off retail price for qualifying startups. Connect with Casted at Casted.us/powderkeg.