Philipp Renner is the co-founder and CEO of Dr. Shiba, a pet wellness brand on a mission to empower pet parents across Southeast Asia to take the best possible care of their furry companions.

Since launching in 2022, they’ve grown to serve over 500,000 happy customers and have been fortunate to receive support from top investors who share our vision.

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👋🏼  How would you explain your job to someone outside tech?

As the co-founder and CEO of Dr. Shiba, my job is to make pets smile. I set the vision for our brand as we aim to become the go-to brand for health-conscious pet parents in the region so their pets can live happier and healthier lives.

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🧐  What's something about you or your job that would surprise us?

Dr. Shiba was actually inspired by my own dog, Ley (a super cute 7-year-old Golden Retriever lady—not a Shiba)! When I first got her, I wanted to be the best pet parent I could be, and that meant providing her with the highest quality nutrition and care.

Unfortunately, I struggled to find products that met my standards, especially at an accessible price point. That's when I realized there was a huge unmet need in the market. Ley has been our Chief Tasting Officer since day one—her palette is probably much more discerning than mine!

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‍🏆  What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?

I’d say probably the response we had from customers when Dr. Shiba really took off.

It was amazing to hear and see so many stories of Dr. Shiba's products having a demonstrable impact on the lives of pets. When you put a product out into the world, you hope that it connects but to see that happen on such a large scale every day was a real moment for me.

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🔍  What's a startup trend or space you're watching this year?

I’m keeping a close eye on any new developments in longevity.

We’re starting to understand more about supplementation for longevity in humans but in pet care, this is a relatively white space. All pet owners want their pets to live long lives and we think products to make this happen could be right around the corner.

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💼  What advice would you give someone starting out in your industry?

Never lose sight of your "why".

Building a brand is hard and it’s easy to get lost in the details. But don’t be afraid to challenge assumptions and flip the table occasionally—some of our biggest breakthroughs have come from bold, unconventional moves.

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🗣  What's one thing you can keep talking about for hours?

Books, without a doubt. I'm a total nerd bibliophile (follow me on Goodreads!) I’ve gotten really into Padel recently so if you are in Bali, get a racket and let's play!

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🎥  What's your favorite movie/TV show?

Anything Nolan is always great—Dark Knight, Prestige, Oppenheimer.

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‍🍨  What's your go-to ice cream flavor?

My all-time favorites are cinnamon and pistachio! Fun fact: I love cooking and ice cream so much that I even have a compressor ice cream-making machine at home.

Hot take—not many people do them well and commercial versions aren’t great either. Try making them yourself! (or find somewhere that does).