We ilume because we care.
Ilume was founded by dog owners who want their pets to stay around longer.
Turns out, when a small team of passionate people get together, a lot can get done. With a team of vets, scientists, microbiologists and doctors, ilume was born to ensure every meal is perfectly portioned for our dogs.
How ilume started
Craig Silbery is ilume’s CEO and founder. After spending his career in pharmaceuticals he looked into pet health after losing his dog early and was shocked to find that despite there being so many preventable diseases there was very little education out there.
In our own diets, we know that vegetables and lean meats make us feel great, and fast food and refined carbs make us feel bad. But most dog owners don’t apply that knowledge to their pets.
The obesity problem
The first problem ilume set out to solve is obesity. Most dog owners are good people who truly love their dogs, and yet many are unknowingly shortening their pets’ lives by overfeeding.
The majority of dogs are overweight, and with this comes an increased risk of life threatening diseases like cancer and heart disease.
The issue isn’t one of care, it’s one of education. Without knowing the calories our dogs burn, how can we know how much they need to eat?
Combating obesity with insight
Using AI, we created a system that provides accurate feeding predictions and real-time insights for the owner, allowing humans to feed their dogs the exact amount they need.
Having exercise data along with realtime weight measurements from our bowl allows us to accurately validate the caloric intake for each dog.
Putting our money where your dog’s mouth is
We're working with two of the best Universities and we've invested $1m into researching collagen and the canine microbiome already.
We’re committed to finding the causes of inflammation in dogs with Massey University, and delving deeper into their caloric needs with the University of Melbourne.
A million dollar Science Fund
Starting with an initial $1m of funding, we’re opening the door to dog-loving academics, researchers and scientists to apply for a grant from the ilume™ Science Fund.
The fund will be headed up by world-renowned PhD Animal Scientist, Emma Birmingham, who has spent the last 20 years in the best clinical research facilities.
Grant applications open soon
If you’re an academic scientist or researcher, and dog lover, we’d love to hear from you.
Applications will be judged on how your proposed research idea will contribute to meaningfully extending the lifespan (and healthspan) of dogs.
To find out more or to express your interest, please email us at [email protected].
Together, we can all help dogs stay longer.