Stem Cell Banking for Pets: Paloma Newton's Journey to Building Elita | #15

Send us Fan MailWhat happens when a hospitality veteran with a passion for problem-solving discovers her new puppy is predisposed to joint issues? For Paloma Newton, it sparked, naturally, led to an Australian-first in pet healthcare.Paloma's path to founding Elita is anything but conventional. Infact, her entire journey is about as unconventional as can be, but like most great innovators, the meandering path is the one most often taken. From call centres to cocktail bars, advertising agencies to venture capital, her career spanned across many industries before she found herself asking a deceptively simple question: why can't I bank my dog's stem cells for future use? When veterinarians responded with 'great idea, but we can't do it,' she recognised not just a gap in the market but a genuine opportunity to improve pet healthcare.The science behind Elita's approach is both elegant and powerful. By extracting and preserving a pet's own stem cells while they're young (currently during routine desexing), owners gain access to a biological insurance policy. These cells can later be used to treat conditions like arthritis, hip dysplasia, and potentially even kidney disease – all without risk of rejection since they're the animal's own cells. 'The worst thing that can happen is they don't work,' Paloma explains, contrasting this with pharmaceutical options that often carry significant side effects. Currently, they bank enough stem cells for ten potential treatments, making it  remarkably cost-effective compared to donor stem cell therapies.What makes Paloma's story particularly compelling is how her varied background became her superpower. With no formal science training, she approached the problem with fresh eyes and a beginners mind, both of which pair perfectly with her determination to execute quickly. 'My style of being a founder is execution over everything,' she says, describing how she built the company from CoLabs before even hiring scientists (bold move, we know). This fearlessness, coupled with a vision for more ethical healthcare that extends beyond profit margins, positions Elita Genetics at the forefront of a transformation in how we care for our animal companions.Curious about banking your pet's stem cells or learning more about this revolutionary approach to pet healthcare? Visit their website or follow Paloma and her inspiration, Chief Morale Officer Edgar Allen Paws, and join in on their journey toward better, more personalised pet medicine.Keep Following the PatternSam's InstagramSubstackCoLabs CoLabs NewsletterThis is an evolving experiment.The Strange Attractor is produced by Ecotone Studio — a creative practice exploring the fertile edge where art, science, technology and philosophy meet.Like the ecosystems we are a part of, this project is designed to evolve. Every conversation changes the next one.If there’s a question you’d like us to explore, a guest we should invite, or a theme you think deserves more attention, drop us a line. We’re especially interested in the spaces between disciplines—the ecotones where unexpected ideas emerge. If you’re building something thoughtful, beautiful or regenerative, or simply wrestling with questions that matter, we’d love to hear from you. Thanks for listening. Until next time — stay curious.