# Central Garden & Pet

> Central Garden & Pet is a VC fund in Walnut Creek backing Pet and Software. See 2 investments, check sizes, portfolio and contact details. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Walnut Creek, United States
- Total investments: 2
- Last investment: Nov 2021
- Lead investor: 50%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/central-garden-and-pet
- Website: http://www.central.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/workatcentral

Central Garden & Pet is a VC fund in Walnut Creek focused on Pet and Software. Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ: CENT, CENTA) understands that home is central to life and has proudly nurtured happy and healthy homes for over 40 years. With 2020 net sales of $2.7 billion, Central is on a mission to lead the future of the pet and garden industries. The Company’s innovative and trusted products are dedicated to help lawns growgreener, gardens bloom bigger, pets live healthier and communities grow stronger. Central is home to a leading portfolio of more than 65 high-quality brands including Pennington, Nylabone, Kaytee, Amdro and Aqueon, strong manufacturing and distribution capabilities and a passionate, entrepreneurial growth culture. Central Garden & Pet is based in Walnut Creek, California and has over 6,300 employees across North America and Europe. For additional information about Central, please visit the Company’s website at www.central.com.

## Contacts

5 contacts available for Central Garden & Pet. Shizune tracks 9 team members at Central Garden & Pet. Sign up free to unlock them: https://app.shizune.co/sign-up/investor-profiles/find-team-emails/central-garden-pet?utm_source=investor_profile

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pet | 2 | 100% |
| Software | 1 | 50% |
| Animal Feed | 1 | 50% |
| Consumer Goods | 1 | 50% |
| Artificial Intelligence | 1 | 50% |

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Seed | 1 | 50% |
| Corporate Round | 1 | 50% |

### Country

| Country | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States | 1 | 50% |
| United Kingdom | 1 | 50% |

## Team

| Name | Title | Investments | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Andrew Schwartz | Insights & Sales Analytics Manager | 0 | — |
| Beaudon Spaulding | Contract Consulting | 0 | — |
| Beth Springer | Interim CEO and Lead Director | 0 | — |
| Bill Brown | Founder | 0 | — |
| Bradley Smith | CFO | 0 | — |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Project Blu | Project Blu is the home of sustainable pet products was born from a desire to do something different. We set out to break the mould of the traditional manufacturing process to offer products that are sustainable, affordable, and built to last.We are constantly innovating our product range and seeking new polluting materials that we can convertinto sustainable designs. |  | Corporate Round | Nov 01, 2021 |  |
| Companion | Companion creates technology that simplifies how owners interact with and train their dogs. Companion's proprietary technology communicates with dogs through audio, and 3D sensing systems detect and analyze the dog's movement and behaviors. With machine learning, it can adapt in real-time, calculating the best way to engage with a dog.Companion rewards the dog for desired behaviors such as sit, down, stay, and recall using positive reinforcement techniques and proprietary data and algorithms. | $8M | Seed | Feb 03, 2021 |  |

2 of 2 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Companion Fund](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/companion-fund) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Michelson Found Animals Foundation](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/found-animals-foundation) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Frog](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/frog-d238) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Frog Design](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/frog-design) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [IA Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/ia-ventures) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Mars Petcare](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/mars-petcare) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

## Similar investors

### Similar stage
- [Antler](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/antler-be9c) — VC Fund
- [Alumni Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/alumni-ventures-group) — VC Fund
- [Right Side Capital Management](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/right-side-capital-management) — VC Fund

## FAQ

### What does Central Garden & Pet invest in?

Central Garden & Pet invests primarily in Pet, Software and Animal Feed startups, most often at Seed and Corporate Round stage. Most of the 2 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### How do I contact Central Garden & Pet?

Public channels for Central Garden & Pet include LinkedIn, the website linked on this profile and Facebook. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.

### Who are the partners at Central Garden & Pet?

The team at Central Garden & Pet includes Andrew Schwartz (Insights & Sales Analytics Manager), Beaudon Spaulding (Contract Consulting) and Beth Springer (Interim CEO and Lead Director), among 9 team members tracked by Shizune. The Team section lists each member with their title, investment count and links.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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