This week’s 1 Million Cups at the Kauffman Foundation featured pitches for beer and biscuits made for dogs and a mobile communication platform and app for small businesses to better reach customers.

Beer Paws founder Crystal Wiebe was first up to talk about her startup, which is trying to tap the 47 percent of American households with at least one dog by turning canines into “better drinking buddies.”

“Drinking and dogs—what could be more fun?” Wiebe said.

Wiebe’s first Beer Paws products were actually wearable rather than consumable, she said, starting with bottle-opener collar tags for pets whose owners may have misplaced their own openers.

Wiebe went on to develop nonalcoholic doggy brew, which she said was good for dogs because it contains a vegetarian-based K9 glucosamine, along with “super-crunchy, high-fiber, high-protein” dog biscuits that she makes in her own kitchen. The biscuits include peanut butter, eggs and spent grain obtained from local breweries and are available at select Hy-Vee stores.

Beer Paws initially focused on the pet industry, but is now also targeting customers in the craft beer community. In addition, the company donates 10 percent of its profits to animal rescue organizations, so far totaling $1,000, Wiebe said.

“We’re starting small,” she said, “but we’d like to give back a lot more.”

Engage Mobility at 1 Million Cups

Next up was Engage Mobility COO Eric Fellows and his associate Shane Hackett, who discussed their company’s mobile communication platform and app for small businesses to promote customer loyalty in a timely and cost-effective manner.

For as little as $9 a month, they said, a small restaurant or retail business could use the Engage Mobility app to offer promotional videos and time-sensitive “live” coupons by utilizing geo-fencing technology targeted to customers within a specific area.