The Pounce Program costs US$600. However, if you join before June 30, 2025, you will receive a 20% discount, reducing the fee to US$500. 

Yes, we are offering 10 free passes for qualified brands. To qualify, your brand must meet the following criteria:
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• Brand Presence: Your brand has or had a presence in Hong Kong, Singapore, or Malaysia within the last 3 years.

• Product Innovation: Your product must showcase a distinctive innovation—whether in design, sustainability, or a unique formula tailored to the pet industry. This innovation will be reviewed by a panel of industry experts and influencers with extensive experience in testing various products and brands in Asia.

Pounce is designed to help brands develop a market thesis on whether their brand is suitable for Asia. This is done through two key program elements: a digital-led sampling strategy pairing your brand with complimentary and prominent brand in the market to encourage adoption, as well as a community-driven courses to immerse you with key players within Algo’s ecosystem, including influencers, 3PL providers, retailers and distributors

Pounce helps pet brands quickly form a thesis on whether Asia is the right market for them, before more bespoke partnership options with AlgoGroup, including our Validation Accelerator Program (VAP), or co-creation & investment options. Throughout this process, Algo helps brands navigate the challenges of entering new markets, managing distribution, and keeping costs under control.

Market Differences: Each market has unique preferences. For example, Hong Kong and Singapore pet owners spend more on smaller dogs, while Malaysia is mostly a cat market. Pounce helps you adapt your products and marketing to fit local needs.
 
Forming a Hybrid Sales Strategy: Relying only on one method of sales distribution is risky. Algo helps form a digital-led strategy where you retain access to digital data and a feedback loop to help you with continuous product innovation, all the while partnering with a carefully curated community of retailers and distributors to ensure offline coverage. 

Controlling Costs: Entering new markets can be expensive, with logistics, marketing, and unexpected fees like customs clearance. Pounce provides guidance to manage these costs, helping you grow without overspending.

• Competitor Pricing Report includes recommended retail prices for your products in specific markets, based on thorough market research. It will be finalized once it receives your brand's approval.

• Market Thesis Reports to review key data, such as sample inventory usage and redemption rates, along with other performance metrics like sales and engagement. Additionally, it includes Algo’s recommendations on future actions for your brand in the designated markets.

• 3PL Costs covered for shipping to designated markets.

• Immediate e-commerce listings and participation in marketing campaigns across 3 key Asian markets.

• Access to community-led courses on digital sales, distribution, and brand building in Asia.

The Pounce Program grants access to Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and other markets like the United Kingdom.

The timeline for the Pounce Program, including the exact timing of the Market Thesis and Competitor Report, will be outlined in your agreement upon onboarding. While the program is designed to last a specific duration, it may conclude earlier depending on your brand's performance and Algo’s ongoing marketing campaigns.

The product sampling marketing campaign works by pairing your brand with a well-known global brand (Generic Brand) to significantly boost its visibility in key markets where Algo is most active. This collaboration increases exposure and credibility for your brand.

In addition, the campaign incorporates user-generated content (UGC) and collaborations with potential pet influencers. Helping to showcase your brand within their circles and introducing it to the broader pet community. Through these tactics, the campaign aims to maximize brand awareness and engagement.

Brands joining Pounce can leverage Algo’s network in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia. Once onboarded, brands can ship their Sampling Inventory to an Algo-designated 3PL to start the campaign, gaining insights and community feedback.
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Key Terms & Conditions:

• Brand owners cover shipping costs to the 3PL.

• Inventory must have a shelf life of at least 18 months.

• A maximum of 5 SKUs and 0.25 CBMs can be shipped.

As a brand partner, you will need to:

• Ship Sample Inventory to an Algo-designated 3PL

• Ensure the inventory meets quality and packaging standards

• Provide intellectual property rights for the duration of the program

• Share product and marketing materials, including historical sales data and branding guidelines

Algo's digital-led strategy helps select five SKUs based on their potential for social media awareness, immediate results in terms of appeal or palatability, and popularity with pets, ensuring strong traction and engagement with customers.

The brand owner is responsible for the shipping costs of the Sample Inventory, including shipment to a designated 3PL partner and any ancillary costs such as customs clearance.

Algo is not just a community of pet brands but a platform that helps emerging pet brands expand into Asia by providing hyperlocal market access services and investment opportunities. It integrates both digital and traditional sales approaches, using social media and digital platforms to generate awareness while ensuring strong product performance across multiple sales channels.

Algo has a carefully curated community of retailers and distributors that work alongside us - one use of the samples sent via the Pounce program is to allow such partners to evaluate the products in real life.
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Once you enter into more bespoke partnerships with Algo, including via the VAP or the co-creation initiative, Algo manages online channels while ensuring that respected recommended retail price (RRP) is enforced. This approach reassures retailers and distributors that their pricing is protected, encouraging them to carry the products without concern over online price competition. By focusing on brand awareness and uplifting the brand, rather than cutting prices, Algo supports both online and offline channels, maintaining harmony between e-commerce and traditional retail partnerships.

Pounce is designed to help emerging brands develop a clear understanding of the key factors necessary for success in the Asian market. Once you complete Pounce, your brand may become eligible for the Validation Accelerator Program (VAP), which offers tailored support to further validate your market entry strategy through digital-led initiatives. This program will build on the insights gained from the Market Thesis Report and Competitor Report to test and refine your brand’s positioning using Algo’s proprietary Cornetto Cone strategy.

Brands that show significant growth during VAP may also be considered for the Co-creation Program, where Algo provides strategic investment to expand its presence in Asia.

For more information about the VAP or the Co-creation Program, please contact us at pounce@algogroup.io.

If you choose not to continue with Algo, you will still have access to your data, competitor reports, and community-led courses.

Brands offering non-consumable products, such as pet accessories like treat dispensers, leashes, collars, pet carriers, cages, crates, etc. may not be the best fit for the Pounce Program. The program is built around a sampling-based strategy, which is more effective for consumable products like pet food, treats, or supplements. Non-consumable products typically don’t generate the same level of engagement through product sampling.

If your brand offers non-consumable products, you can explore opportunities through Algo’s Validation Accelerator Program (VAP). While Pounce focuses on consumable product sampling, VAP offers a broader strategy for non-consumable products, helping you penetrate key markets through targeted support for validation and growth. VAP includes strategic brand placement, potential cross-marketing opportunities, and tailored market entry strategies, ensuring your product reaches the right audience.
 
Please feel free to reach out to pounce@algogroup.io for more information about VAP.