DogVacay.com Fetches $15M Investment in Pet-Sitting Services
New service will revolutionize pet-sitting.
Oct. 11, 2013— -- They say every dog has its day. But on Thursday, a few animal lovers were given a bone.
Make that 15 million bones.
DogVacay.com, an online and mobile pet services community that helps dog owners find local, affordable pet-sitting sitters when they have to leave town, announced a $15 million investment in Series B funding that will help expand and enhance the company's current offerings.
"The capital will be used to further improve our customer experience and our technology," said Aaron Hirschhorn, co-founder, CEO and self-described "Top Dog" of DogVacay. "We'll continue to scale our DogVacay Concierge, which connects pet parents with specific requests to the perfect host for their pup--even for dogs with special needs or behavior issues--and our customer support team, which is available to pet parents 24/7."
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With more than 10,000 available hosts nationwide, DogVacay was the first company to launch an app connecting pet owners with local dog sitters. Many are professional sitters or have extensive experience caring for dogs, a representative told ABC News.
Worried about fleas or kennel cough? By booking a provider on DogVacay, dog owners are covered by insurance protection and emergency support, the representative said. The company also limits the number of dogs a sitter can host together to three at a time, to ensure personalized care and freedom to roam as opposed to confined kennel quarters.
Investors likened the business' approach to other online pioneers that were designed around sharing economies, like eBay.
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"DogVacay's momentum since we originally invested is similar to the trajectory we saw in other marketplace companies such as eBay, Yelp, Uber and GrubHub," said Bill Gurley, general partner at Benchmark and member of DogVacay's board of directors. "The remarkable organic traction of its marketplace shows no sign of slowing down, and we're delighted with the impressive trajectory that lies ahead."