[ENTREPRENEUR FOCUS] - ZENTAG – The best identification tags for dogs and cats

ZENTAG – The best identification tags for dogs and cats

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The concept

I created ZENTAG, an innovative identification medal to allow the 90,000 French people who will lose their cat or dog this year to increase their chances of finding their pet.

 

How is this medal innovative?

It is engraved with a QR Code, itself linked to an application, which allows the owner to fill out a detailed information sheet (telephone number, address, fears, allergies, etc.). In the event of loss, anyone finding the animal can scan the QR Code and instantly access its information sheet to contact the owner who will receive a notification on their phone with the exact location of their animal.

What is your objective?

My objective if to offer an affordable means of identification with an elegant, lifetime-guaranteed medal (engraved stainless steel) that will bring comfort and peace of mind to dog and cat owners.

This objective hides many others because these lost animals which are not found will be handed over to associations, shelters and pounds which very often already have critical filling rates. Not to mention the fact that taking each stray animal to the nearest veterinarian takes time and can be a hindrance: handling an animal you don't know can be scary, without even having the certainty that the veterinarian will be able to identify it. (50% of cats and 10% of dogs are not microchipped or tattooed even though this is a French obligation).

How did the idea come about?

As the owner of a cat and having often thought he was lost after several weeks without seeing him, I was able to feel the anguish of losing him and never seeing him again. In September 2023, I learned of the number of animals lost in France and realizing that every hour that passed 3 dogs and 6 cats were declared lost, I decided to act.

The following month, ZENTAG was born and I took this challenge to heart which allowed me to use my desire to undertake to prove that by hanging this simple medal on the collar of your cat or your dog, you increase 50% chance of finding him.

Where are you today?

ZENTAG is still young. The site has been online since December 2023 with a crowdfunding campaign closed during this same period to help finance the stock of blank stainless steel medals and especially the engraver. My desire is to have control over the production line and to be able to engrave the medals in my studio in Paris, allowing me to ensure quality and also to be able to personalize each medal with the name of the animal while posting the package maximum 24 hours after ordering.

With more than 50 active ambassadors on Instagram, this allows me to have very complete feedback regarding the medals and the application while communicating on ZENTAG thanks to these collaborations and various competitions organized. I am also involved as a volunteer Facebook moderator for Filalapat (groups dedicated to dogs & cats seen, lost and found) in order to help and live as close as possible to this problem.

What are the objectives in the coming years?

My next objective is to market these medals in veterinary clinics to complement and not replace the obligatory identification to be carried out with veterinarians.

Having visibility in this type of establishment is a real plus because they are professionals we all trust who will be able to advise and recommend ZENTAG medals. Even if online sales continue to grow, having a strong presence in places frequented by animal owners (veterinary practices, boarding houses, groomers, etc.) makes it possible to create this close bond while raising awareness of the risks of do not equip your animal with this type of medal.

My 5-year vision is to have half a million cats/dogs equipped with a ZENTAG medal, which represents 2.2% of households owning a pet in France.

One last word?

ZENTAG is not just a technological solution, it is a response to a pressing and growing need for peace of mind for pet owners. By making animal identification more interactive and accessible, I hope to help reduce the number of stray animals (following loss) and return lost smiles.

Website: zentag.fr
Instagram: @_zentag
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-viaud-103022200/