Spotlight GPS animal locator
CARY, NC -Have you ever had to chase a lost dog? It can be both frustrating and worrisome. Everyone involved with Cary-based Positioning Animals Worldwide (PAW) has had to hunt for a lost dog, CEO and Chairman Chris Newton tells us.
Newton says that a group of entrepreneurs noted that GPS was becoming part of everyone’s lives. “We all had dogs and started telling some lost dog stories,” he said. “Then we did research, looked at the numbers and saw a real need out there.”
The company developed and sells the Spotlight GPS tracking device, a $249.99 device that requires a monthly service charge, but will help you find lost pets more easily than ever before.
The locator includes a lifetime enrollment with the American Kennel Club’s recovery unit.
Its features include a bright LED spotlight that a user can activate by texting it. A GeoFence feature alerts the owner if the animal strays from a designated geographical area.
During a hunt for a lost animal, users get text messages giving them turn by turn directions to help find it.
“The device had already saved dogs lives,” says Newton.
The company recently released a free iPhone app that allows users to track an animal in real time. “Your phone has GPS and so does the dog, so you always know where you are in relative to the dog” using the app, Newton says.
Newton tells us the seven employee company is funded by private angel investors and is looking for additional funding from a mix of individual investors and angel funds.
We think the company has good reason to expect success. “One of three dogs go missing at one point or another and Americans spend more money on catfood than on baby food,” Newton says. –By Allan Maurer
To reach TechJournal South Editor Allan Maure email: allan at TechJournalSouth dot com.
© 2010, TechJournal South. All rights reserved.
Tags: Cary, NC, PAW, pet locator, Spotlight GPS locator, Startups
