Two years ago Manchester-based MusicForPets 鈥� described as the Netflix for pets or 鈥楶etflix鈥� 鈥� was acquired by US tech giant Create Music Group.
The deal size was undisclosed but was known to be an eight figure sum and it changed the life of founder Amman Ahmed forever.
The entrepreneur, who founded MusicForPets in 2017 with Ricardo Henriquez, grew the business to more than 50 million pets worldwide.
Reflecting on the impact of the sale, Ahmed said: 鈥淭he so-called 鈥榰nexpected challenges鈥� weren鈥檛 really unexpected.
鈥淚鈥檇 built MusicForPets like a fortress, everything owned in-house, lean, structured, airtight.
鈥淲hen the acquisition happened, the deal was smooth. According to my investment banker, the smoothest he had ever seen.
鈥淭he real challenge wasn鈥檛 financial or operational, it was cultural. Imagine being the first UK acquisition for a massive Hollywood hip-hop label that had never done this before. Integration was like learning a new language. But pressure creates clarity, and I think I came out of it sharper.鈥�
Ahmed recalled how selling his business caused a loss of identity.
鈥淓veryone warns you 鈥榓fter you exit, you鈥檒l lose your identity鈥� and they鈥檙e right, it does hit you,鈥� he said.
鈥淥ne day you鈥檙e the guy building something with global impact, the next day you wake up thinking: 鈥楴ow what?鈥�
鈥淚 decided to embrace it. I reminded myself I wasn鈥檛 just a founder, I was also an artist. That mindset gave me a blank canvas again. From there, I started building for fun, not pressure. That shift turned into real creative momentum.
鈥淚nstead of feeling like I lost control, I had a different kind of freedom and the ability to experiment creatively without the weight of full ownership.鈥�
‘People changed after exit’
Ahmed admitted the way people treated him changed after the high-profile exit.
鈥�Pre-exit, you鈥檙e just Ahmed building a pet music startup,鈥� he said. 鈥淧ost-exit, suddenly everyone鈥檚 pitching you, calling you an 鈥榓ngel investor鈥�, trying to get you on their cap table.
鈥淓ven some friendships shifted once they saw me through the lens of a business exit. It鈥檚 a trip, but also a filter. True friendships survive, opportunistic ones don鈥檛.鈥�
Asked about his motivation for the sale he explained: 鈥淚 never operated from financial desperation. Post-exit, I doubled down on that freedom. Now, everything I do comes from a place of pure creative energy. I鈥檓 motivated by fun, experimentation, and seeing how far I can bend music to serve new purposes.鈥�
The entrepreneur has spent a lot of the last two years dabbling in AI.
鈥淚鈥檓 watching AI with both curiosity and caution,鈥� he said. 鈥淩ight now, everyone鈥檚 jumping on the AI bandwagon like it鈥檚 a new religion. I prefer to experiment quietly, play with it, test it, see how it really shifts the music landscape.
鈥淲ill it become a creative partner, or kill originality? I don鈥檛 know yet. But I鈥檓 not afraid to find out.鈥�
Grammy winners
Far from resting on his laurels, Ahmed has been busy collaborating with Grammy winners.
鈥淎fter nine years of running everything in-house, I wanted to break our own mould,鈥� he said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 science proving reggae keeps dogs calm and happy, so I knew I needed the best in reggae. Enter Grammy-winning producer, ANTAEUS, who worked with Julian Marley and co-producer, Daniel from the celebrated collective Mosadi.
鈥淭he collaboration isn鈥檛 just about prestige, it was about pushing the boundaries of sound and creating music designed equally for dogs and their humans. It gave me new artistic fire.鈥�
Dreaming Dog
The result of their work has been the launch of Dreaming Dog, a 13-track album developed to reduce anxiety in dogs.
Ahmed admitted: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a dream (no pun intended!). When I started making music for dogs, nobody imagined it would even be in the conversation for Grammy consideration.
鈥淔or me, this isn鈥檛 just about chasing an award it鈥檚 about showing that pet 鈥榠s serious art with genuine impact.
鈥淒reaming Dog is the clearest expression of that vision: music built to deepen the bond between pets and people. Even being considered puts this movement on a global stage, and that in itself feels like a milestone.鈥�