Rover is an app-based marketplace that connects dog owners with sitters and walkers for services including walks, boarding, and general care. The company merged with DogVacay in an all-stock deal around this time last year. Rover says it accepts less than 20% of potential sitters and reports more than 200,000 sitters throughout North America. TechCrunch notes the service is positioned to compete with Wag amid growing investor interest in dog-care services. The company previously raised $156 million and its backers have included A-Grade Investments, Foundry Group, Madrona Venture Group, Menlo Ventures, OMERS Ventures, Petco, and StepStone Group. This financing consists of $125 million in equity led by funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates and a $30 million credit facility with Silicon Valley Bank, and the Wall Street Journal reports the round values Rover at $970 million. Rover operates an online marketplace that matches pet owners with pet sitters and dog walkers, and it takes roughly a 22% cut of each transaction. The company offers background checks, insurance, and a premium “Rover Go” service to help sitters photograph their homes and build better profiles. While primarily focused on dogs, Rover also supports cats and other caged animals. Earlier this year Rover bought out and integrated competitor DogVacay, which the company expects will aid international expansion, especially into Canada. The company plans to use the new funding to expand into pet health and grooming and to further grow its dog-walking business, which CEO Aaron Easterly says is “growing phenomenally.” Easterly has also said an IPO is “the most likely outcome by far.” Rover runs a marketplace for pet sitting and dog walking that expanded from pet sitting to dog walking last year. The company says it now has more than 65,000 sitters and walkers in its network and averages about 1 million bookings each quarter. Rover has raised over $90 million in total funding to date. The startup plans to use new capital for product development, geographical expansion, and continued market growth. It also said the funds could be used for acquisitions. The announcement frames the investment as a way to continue redefining the pet care space. Rover.com operates a nationwide platform that connects dog owners with sitters for in‑home boarding, pet sitting, dog walking and day care. The platform provides complimentary premium insurance for services booked through Rover, 24/7 vet consultation, mobile apps, photo sharing, stay highlight videos and optional sitter background checks. Led by CEO Aaron Easterly, Rover has connected dog owners to more than 40,000 sitters across 10,000 U.S. cities. The company currently employs 80 full‑time employees. Rover intends to use new funding to continue to expand operations. Rover.com operates an online marketplace that connects dog owners with sitters, walkers, in‑home boarding, pet sitting, and day care across the U.S. The platform includes complimentary premium insurance for bookings, 24/7 vet consultation, mobile apps, photo sharing and optional sitter background checks. Rover says it has more than 25,000 sitters and service available in every major city, with more than 92% of the U.S. population within a short drive of a Rover sitter. The company reported accelerating demand, noting that Los Angeles bookings this year are six times higher than last year. In addition to broad marketplace services, Rover has launched a higher-touch Premier service in Los Angeles featuring enhanced interviews, in-person home and yard inspections, and verified profile photos. The Premier offering provides personalized booking assistance via an elite customer service team and is designed to give sitters more time to focus on care by having Rover manage logistics and customer inquiries.

Total raised

$311M

Funding rounds

10

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

May 2018