Sara Sobania

Describe briefly what the business idea is based on.

On a daily basis, I am involved in a startup that aims to help caregivers take care of their pets’ health. Supuppy are natural supplements for dogs in a subscription model, attention by nutritional experts and adapted to the needs of four-legged students.

The foundations of our product are delivered, with trusted provenance, combining the body of science with the fundamental challenges of sustainable animal origins and a known community, along with the input we create. We believe that supplementation is synonymous with systematicity and consideration of individual animals. When developing recipes, we use the experience of specialists in fields such as animal dietetics, animal behavior, veterinary medicine and biotechnology. Our missions take ownership in keeping their students healthy and ensuring their dogs thrive.

Currently, two supplements with quality ingredients (so-called Human Grade) are available for sale: Hau to Relax for calmness and appearance and Hau to Shine for appearance and shiny fur. Both products are in powder form, which makes them convenient to provide with food, and dogs enjoy their taste. Additionally, the composition does not contain any unnecessary fillings or construction ingredients.

The main sales channel for our services is our website – a place that provides caregivers with all information about risk, additives, configurations and dosages. We are the first in Poland to offer sales if we want to supplement the ritual with the individual nutritional requirements of dogs and comfort for all caregivers. This is possible thanks to cyclical deliveries, change switch, full transparency of the composition and the main supplier.

Poland is becoming a leader in the development of the e-commerce industry in Europe and, according to the latest research results, up to ten Polish Internet users are now shopping online. In Poland, the digital sector is developing very quickly, and the value of the Polish e-commerce market is expected to reach up to PLN 162 billion by 2026. source

What was your situation before joining the programs?

Initially, I associated my future with journalism, but as I gained knowledge and used it in practice, I realized that this was not exactly the path I wanted to take. From the first year of my studies, my brother, who runs a marketing agency, gradually introduced me to work. It quickly made me realize that marketing would be my professional choice at this point. For this reason, I took part in the recruitment for the Erasmus program, thanks to which I had the opportunity to further acquire marketing secrets, and in Spanish.

After returning from Salamanca, I started studies related to UX Design, thanks to which I met Kasia – co-founder of Supuppy and my personal friend. When taking part in the Design Thinking Moderator course, we were randomly assigned to one group and it stayed that way. The trainer suggested that we submit the project developed during the course to a start-up competition. Of course, at that time we had absolutely no knowledge of what exactly a start-up was and what such competitions involved, but it was the trigger for action. That’s how we found YES and thanks to Adrian’s inquisitive questions and the support of the entire team, we found our way to further develop our business ambitions.

What are the main benefits of joining the programs in your opinion? What did you get?

Huge opportunity to develop and find your own path. It was during the program that I met many founders whom I still support and model my activities after. Networking is a really powerful tool that can significantly speed up certain processes in a start-up and open many doors.

What are your plans for the future?

Certainly, further development of Supuppy and constant learning will allow me to achieve this. As we grow, we want to be able to take care of as many dogs as possible (not only in Poland) and be able to address their problems with appropriate supplements.