AI-powered pet app launched by Daniel Island entrepreneur
Anyone with a pet knows that the smallest changes in their furry friend can mean the most: a skipped meal, a new scratch, a little less energy on a morning walk – signs that pet owners often notice but rarely have a clear way to track.
Daniel Island resident and entrepreneur Michelle Wiltse noticed this gap too, and instead of shrugging it off, she built a solution.
Wiltse is the founder of CompanAIn, a new AI-powered pet wellness app designed to help owners understand and act on subtle shifts in their pets’ health. The app is currently in a free early-access beta phase, with a public release planned for early 2026.
For Wiltse, the idea came from both her career and her home life. “I’ve spent much of my career at the intersection of technology and human-centered design, but health care and animals have always been my deepest passions,” she said.
“The idea for CompanAIn grew out of my own experiences as a pet parent. I wanted to take that same power (of AI) and point it toward the greater good: supporting families and their animals.”
Wiltse noticed that the challenge wasn’t a lack of good veterinary care; it was everything that falls through the cracks between appointments.
“Care isn’t the problem; continuity and access are,” she said, adding that owners often have to juggle scattered pet records, rising costs, busy schedules, and long waits for appointments. “Much of the most important information around a companion’s health and wellness lives only in the owner’s thoughts or memory.”
CompanAIn aims to change that by creating a single, living timeline of a pet’s health. Users create a profile for their dog, cat, or horse, then add anything they have: lab results, vet visit summaries, medications, photos, or even quick notes about behavior changes. The app pulls everything together, interpreting values and spotting patterns behind the scenes so owners don’t have to.
“From the pet owner’s perspective, CompanAIn is designed to feel simple and supportive,” Wiltse said.
Users on the app can see what looks normal, what’s trending, and what might be worth watching or bringing up with a vet.
The app also includes a secure veterinary portal to keep professionals in the loop. Vets can upload records, see the same timeline the owner sees, and add their own insights.
“The goal isn’t to tell vets what to think; it’s to give them a cleaner, more connected picture in a fraction of the time.”
In the long term, Wiltse said she imagines CompanAIn becoming a quiet companion in the background of a pet’s life, something that helps families spot early changes and make better decisions without the anxiety and guesswork.
“If we can help bring a bit more ‘human’ back into humanity and bring people closer to the animals they love, then we’ve done our job,” she said.