Kali Zahar
Kali Zahar is the founder of Ubae, a Los Angeles-based brand that creates organic purple sweet potato pet treats formulated for pets with sensitive stomachs and skin.
Kali Zahar's Bio
Kali Zahar is the founder of Ubae, a Los Angeles-based pet treat brand that makes organic purple sweet potato snacks tailored for dogs and cats with sensitive stomachs and skin. She started the company while working full-time as a scientist at UCLA, turning her interest in functional ingredients into a side business focused on clean-label pet nutrition.
Ubae's treats center on ube, the vibrant purple sweet potato common in Filipino cuisine, chosen for its natural antioxidant properties and gentle digestibility. Zahar has built the brand around transparency and ingredient quality, targeting pet owners who want the same clean-eating standards for their animals that they apply to their own diets.
While Ubae is an early-stage brand with limited public footprint, Zahar's scientific background and focus on functional, limited-ingredient treats position it in the fast-growing premium pet food category.
Career Timeline
2020 — Began scientific career at UCLA
Started working full-time as a scientist at UCLA, building expertise in food science and functional ingredients.
2022 — Founded Ubae in Los Angeles
Started the brand while working full-time as a scientist at UCLA, creating organic purple sweet potato pet treats.
2023 — Launched Ubae.co direct-to-consumer
Established the brand's online presence at ubae.co, offering treats formulated for sensitive stomachs and skin.
Episodes
Advice Line with Jeni Britton of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams (2025)
Jeni Britton returns for an Advice Line special on How I Built This, this time to discuss Floura -- her new fiber-forward food company launched after building Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams into a nationally recognized brand. She reflects on pivoting from ice cream to functional foods, the science behind her 13-gram fiber bars, and why she wants to make fiber accessible without sacrificing taste.
Advice Line with Jeni Britton of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams
Jeni Britton joins Guy Raz on the Advice Line to help three early-stage founders navigate marketing, fundraising, and PR. Jesse Koenig wants to focus his frozen fry brand's marketing. Casey White feels pressure to raise outside capital for her frozen pierogi company. Callie Zahar weighs whether to hire a PR firm for her purple sweet potato pet treat brand. Plus, Britton shares how her new fiber-forward company Floura is addressing a massive American dietary gap.
