Jane Lauder’s TAW Ventures Partners With Leap Venture Studio

Just two months after announcing her next act, TAW Ventures, Jane Lauder is getting to work.

The former chief data officer and executive vice president of enterprise marketing at the Estée Lauder Cos., the beauty company founded by her grandmother, revealed her investment firm TAW Ventures in 2024. The fund, which specializes in pet health, wellness and longevity, revealed a new partnership Monday.

TAW Ventures has partnered with Leap Venture Studio, a pet care incubator, joining the cofounding parties Mars Inc. and animal welfare organization Michelson Found Animals. The studio has also opened applications for its 12-week accelerator program, to which TAW Ventures and Mars will contribute $200,000 to chosen participants.

A statement from the company said this iteration of the program, its 10th, would build “on insights from nine successful cohorts as well as the expertise of a new partner, TAW Ventures,” adding that “Cohort 10 programming has been designed to help founders scale their impact in 2026 and beyond.”

Said Lauder of the partnership, “TAW Ventures was founded to support the next generation of pet wellness innovators with strategic guidance, consumer insight and patient, purpose-driven capital. By joining Leap Venture Studio, we can help founders translate breakthrough ideas into trusted, scalable brands — and we are excited to partner with Mars Petcare and Michelson Found Animals to accelerate that vision.”

The statement continued that the focus of the cohort would be funding for startups “that advance pet longevity and wellness, shaping a healthier future for pets and their people. Of particular interest are initiatives that improve accessibility of care, support senior pets, and promote overall pet well-being through innovative, science-backed solutions.”

Leap Venture Studio, which began in 2018, began as a partnership between Mars Inc. and organization Michelson Found Animals. Rachel Sheppard, director of ventures at Mars Petcare, credited TAW’s “hands-on experience in research and development, and strategy.”

Phillip Kim, executive director at Michelson Philanthropies, added that “it was only fitting to continue to push Leap even further forward with the addition of TAW Ventures.”