• Petnet

  Led · Series A · Aug 2016

  Founded in 2013, Petnet develops connected pet-feeding products that combine vet-approved information with local sensors to recommend what, how much, and when pets should eat. Its core hardware includes the SmartFeeder automated feeder and the SmartBowl, which notifies users when they've poured the correct amount while leaving feeding manual. The company positions itself around delivering a personalized pet care experience that extends beyond feeding into other areas of pet care. Petnet aggregates veterinary guidance and sensor data to help owners address common issues like pet obesity. The business is expanding distribution through retail partnerships to increase nationwide reach. The company recently raised funding to support that expansion. Petnet is a consumer-facing home automation company whose mission is to deliver the freshest and most compatible food possible to pets. Its core product, the SmartFeeder, combines artificial intelligence, robotics, sensors and networks to learn a pet’s age, weight and activity and autonomously create a caloric profile. The SmartFeeder tracks household food supply and preemptively orders food from suppliers so deliveries arrive as needed and are not stored in a warehouse for more than one day. Petnet aims to digitize and automate the pet food supply chain to reduce lead times (it says it has taken three to four months off the supply chain), improve food quality and lower costs for owners and manufacturers. To support this strategy it raised $4M in a financing involving Black River Ventures, Aspiration Growth, iRobot and the Amazon Alexa Fund to build out its digital supply chain ecosystem and commercialize the SmartFeeder. The company notes market tailwinds—nearly 70 percent of US households have a pet and pet owners spent nearly $24 billion on pet food in 2014—and its SmartFeeder won a 2015 CES Innovation Award. Petnet's core product is the $199 SmartFeeder, an Internet of Things pet food dispenser that uses intelligent sensors, learning algorithms, and onboard processing to assess dietary needs and create custom feeding schedules. The SmartFeeder alerts owners when pets have been fed and can remind owners to reorder food. Demand appears strong: Petnet reported over 10,000 pre-orders and plans to begin shipping the product mid-year. The company participated in Bolt, a Boston hardware incubator, where it received initial funding. Petnet intends to use its seed financing to commercialize SmartFeeder, enhance the product's technology, hire staff, and develop additional projects. CEO Carlos Herrera has also expressed an interest in mentoring high school students in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

• Rover

  Participated · Equity · Mar 2015

  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.

No current team members are available.