Anyone interested in emerging trends, fresh ideas and innovative business models in the pet industry was drawn to Hall 3 at Interzoo 2026, home to the Fresh Ideas Stage and its adjoining networking lounge and bar area. Located at the heart of the exhibition, the stage hosted a dynamic programme throughout all four days of the show, with 37 start-ups, newcomers and established brands presenting their latest products, services and concepts in a series of short presentations.
At the Fresh Ideas Contest on the final day of the exhibition, participants pitched their ideas to a jury of experts in the competition for the coveted Interzoo Fresh Ideas Awards, which recognise the best innovative ideas in key trend and growth areas of the pet industry. The jury comprised Antje Schreiber (Head of Communications and Publishing Director of WZF’s zza publishing division), Katharina Engling (Chair of the Interzoo Advisory Committee) and Daniel Hornburg (TRIXIE Heimtierbedarf GmbH).
Winner of the Interzoo Fresh Ideas Contest 2026 makes headlines
This year’s first prize went to mousebouncer GmbH. The start-up impressed the jury with its smart product, the ZeroMOUSE cat flap. Using AI-powered facial recognition, the flap detects whether a cat is attempting to bring home a “gift” and only opens if the cat is not carrying prey in its mouth.
The innovation impressed not only the jury and the audience but also attracted a lot of media attention. Germany’s largest national daily newspaper, BILD, featured mousebouncer’s cat flap in an article published in its weekend edition shortly after the show.
“I am particularly pleased to see the winner of the Interzoo Fresh Ideas Contest receiving media attention beyond the pet industry,” said Dr Rowena Arzt, Head of Exhibitions at WZF – Pet Industry Service “Coverage like this brings the innovative strength of our industry to a broader readership. It also demonstrates that Interzoo is not only an essential event for trade media, but equally relevant for journalists beyond the specialist press. As the world’s leading trade fair for the pet industry, Interzoo is where many exciting new products and trends for the furry, feathered and scaled members of their readers’ families are first unveiled.”
Kuro & Kai, a Spanish start-up that produces sustainable cat litter from olive pits, was awarded second prize for its idea. The Frankfurt-based start-up Lumiies, which specialises in high-quality dog accessories in bright, high-visibility colours, took home third prize.
This year, the Interzoo Fresh Ideas Stage was complemented by the “International Start-up Area” and “Young Innovators” joint stands, where 32 international start-ups and 27 Young Innovators from Germany presented their latest innovations. Both the Fresh Ideas Stage and the Start-up Area proved particularly popular with visitors to the world’s leading trade fair for the pet industry.
Strong support from TRIXIE Heimtierbedarf
As in 2024, TRIXIE Heimtierbedarf returned as the main sponsor of the format, once again supporting this platform dedicated to the ideas and innovations of tomorrow.
