On a mission to revolutionise the veterinary world, the client engagement platform from UK — PetsApp has raised $4.4 million seed round to transform the way in which pet owners get access to the services they need.
The funding round was led by Berlin-based VC Point Nine Capital, with participation from Adjacent, GFC, Market One Capital as well as angel investors, including Todd & Rahul’s Angel Fund (Superhuman CEO Rahul Vohra and Eventjoy founder Todd Goldberg), Carlos Gonzales Cadenas (Index), Matt Robinson (founder and CEO of Nested) and Ronen Givon (founder and CEO of Rekki).
The funding will enable the London-based startup to keep building its product and to double-down on the expansion in the US and other geographies. The company had earlier received a £500,000 pre-seed investment from Berlin’s Global Founders Capital.
Silver lining of the pandemic
Vets could only see urgent cases in person during the lockdown. A backlog of routine procedures back then meant clinics were stretched beyond capacity.
Launched in January 2020 by Thom Jenkins, a vet and former COO of clinic groups in Asia and the UK and Will Monk, who brought years of experience as a tech-lead turning data into user-friendly interfaces on apps such as The Trainline, the startup gives vets control over their revenue, frees up resources and gives patients a seamless service.
Taking up the challenge amid the pandemic, PetsApp prioritised owner queries and gave vets control over their own workflows. Consequently, the startup became the engagement platform of choice for over 300 clinics. The app has helped over 200,000 pets, with over 650,000 virtual care interactions and processed over $5M in veterinary clinic payments and and achieved a 4.9/5 rating in the App Store, making it the top veterinary app in the U.K. and Ireland.
According to Thom Jenkins, CEO and co-founder of the company, the startup is helping the clinic owners and operators grow their business and making care more convenient for pet owners.
Growing demand for pet care
With an ever-increasing number of people who have taken in pets during the pandemic and hence, needed vets for online consultation, this is a welcome change. If figures prove anything, over 12.6 million US households got a new pet last year after the pandemic, according to a COVID-19 Pulse Study by the American Pet Products Association.
Owners can now get prompt advice and care, anytime and anywhere, from the veterinary team they know and trust, said Ricardo Sequerra Amram from Point Nine.
“We can take payments directly now. This feature helps to make a seamless transition between the vet or nurse talking to the client and paying for treatment,” said Jordanne Turley, Marketing & Referrals Manager at Lime Trees Vets, a veterinary clinic in Stoke-on-Trent. “We can also share documents with owners such as blood results or even a photo of their pet who is an inpatient.”
Ricardo Sequerra Amram from Point Nine said: “There’s no one pet owners trust more with their pet’s health than their vet. Vet clinics can now build closer relationships with owners while doing their jobs more effectively. Backing Thom and Will with their unique level of sector insight combined with consumers’ increased expectations to interact digitally makes the startup an incredible opportunity to transform an entire market.”
With a rise in the number of players in the pet tech industry, the startup faces stiff competition from rivals in the US market such as Rhapsody.vet, Ezyvet, Digitail and Hippo Manager. Its European rivals include the likes of Stockholm-based FirstVet and Porto-based Barkyn.
