US: Ann Arbor Startup Manu Wants to Build a Connected Digital System for Animal Health

Michigan-based Manu Inc. is combining veterinary software, artificial intelligence and pet health wearables in a single platform

A young animal health technology company in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is developing a connected system designed to bring veterinarians, pet owners and animal health information onto one platform.

Manu Inc., founded around 18 months ago by entrepreneur Jonathan Lightning Rayos, says its goal is to build what it describes as an “operating system for animal health.”

Instead of creating one more standalone veterinary app, Manu is working on three connected products covering pet health records, veterinary clinic support and wearable health monitoring. The details were reported in a July 12 interview with MITechNews.

Three products form the Manu animal health platform

The first part of the business is a browser-based pet health application already available to users.

The platform allows pet owners to keep medical history, vaccination details, medicines and other health information in one place.

The second product, ManuCare, is being tested at about six veterinary practices, according to the company founder.

ManuCare is designed to help veterinary teams organise patient information and reduce time spent searching through records or handling routine office work. Artificial intelligence is used to examine and organise clinical information, but the company says the technology is intended to support veterinarians rather than replace their medical judgement.

ManuGuard wearable planned for later in 2026

The third part of the system is ManuGuard, a wearable health device for companion animals. The device is planned for release later in 2026 and is intended to continuously monitor animal health measurements.

Information collected by the wearable would be sent into the wider Manu platform. The aim is to help pet owners and veterinarians notice changes in an animal’s health earlier than may be possible through occasional clinic visits alone.

The company has not yet published large clinical studies showing how accurately ManuGuard can identify disease or improve treatment results. These will be important questions as the product moves closer to wider use.

Five veterinarians advise the animal health startup

Manu says it has built an advisory board of five veterinarians who provide clinical guidance during product development.

This is an important part of the company’s approach. Veterinary software must work in busy clinics and solve everyday problems faced by veterinary teams. Manu says its products are being developed with veterinary input rather than being designed only by technology teams.

Manu has been built without venture capital so far

Unlike many technology startups, Manu has been self-funded since it was founded, Rayos told MITechNews. The company is also organised as a Public Benefit Corporation, a business structure that allows a company to formally include wider public goals alongside financial growth.

Manu says animal welfare and the health of the veterinary community are part of its stated business mission.

Veterinary clinics face growing pressure to use better digital tools

The timing of Manu’s development is significant. Veterinary practices are handling growing amounts of patient information while also facing pressure to improve clinic efficiency and communication with pet owners.

At the same time, pet wearables and artificial intelligence are becoming increasingly visible in animal health. Manu’s idea is to connect these areas.

A pet owner manages an animal’s health information. A veterinary clinic uses ManuCare. A wearable collects health measurements. The information is then brought together within one system.

Can Manu build an operating system for animal health?

For now, Manu remains an early-stage company. ManuCare is being tested in only about six veterinary practices, while ManuGuard is still planned for release later this year. The company has not disclosed revenue, customer numbers or outside funding.

However, its strategy highlights an important change in veterinary technology. The next generation of animal health companies may not build separate clinic software, pet apps and wearable devices. They may try to connect all three.

Manu’s ambition is to create one digital system linking the pet, the owner and the veterinarian. Whether a young Ann Arbor startup can build that network at scale will be an animal health technology story worth watching.