Wag operates an on-demand platform for dog walking and boarding that launched in 2015 and initially started in Los Angeles and New York City before expanding to more than 100 U.S. cities. The app connects pet owners with walkers and offers boarding services. The company has faced public criticism, including reports of lost dogs and disputes with customers. Wag appointed Hilary Schneider, formerly of LifeLock, as its new chief executive officer. The company secured a large strategic investment from the SoftBank Vision Fund, which Wag says will help scale the business using SoftBank’s global experience and operating expertise. The articles do not report revenue or user metrics. Wag offers an on-demand dog-walking service that pre-screens walkers and sends whoever is available when a user requests a walk. The company positions itself more like Uber or Lyft than a marketplace such as Rover or DogVacay, which connect pet sitters and owners directly. Founded in Los Angeles, Wag has expanded into many U.S. markets, including San Francisco, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Miami, New York, Orange County, Portland, San Diego, San Jose, Seattle and Washington, D.C. To support that regional expansion, Wag raised a Series A and Series B over the past two years totaling about $19M. General Catalyst led a $4M Series A and Sherpa Ventures invested $15M in a Series B, on top of a prior $2.4M seed round from investors such as Freestyle Capital, CrunchFund, Greylock, Ludlow Ventures, RRE Ventures, Slow Ventures, Social Leverage and Structure Capital. The company has used these rounds to fund growth into new cities. Representatives for Wag and its investors declined to comment or did not reply to requests. Wag! is an on-demand mobile app that connects dog owners with trained, background-checked, insured and bonded dog walkers. Founded in January 2015 by Josh Viner and based in Los Angeles, the app schedules 30-to-60-minute walks and notifies owners when a dog is picked up. Owners can follow walks via GPS and receive post-walk report cards with distance, time, “pee & poo” records, photos/videos and walker notes. For every mile a dog walks with Wag!, the company donates $0.10 to the Best Friends Foundation. The company closed a $2.45M seed round and plans to use the funds to accelerate expansion into additional major US markets beyond Los Angeles and recently San Francisco. It also intends to expand its product offering and services.

Total raised

$321M

Funding rounds

4

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Jan 2018