Rover.com is a Seattle-based company selling pet services, including in-home dog boarding and pet sitting. Rover.com leverages the sharing economy to serve customers throughout the United States, connecting dog owners with approved dog sitters, providing an alternative to kennels or friends and family. Rover.com was formally incorporated under the name A Place for Rover, Inc.
The company has been featured in national and local media including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Real Simple, Today.com, The Seattle Times, and GeekWire.com. On June 21, 2014, CEO Aaron Easterly was named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner for the Pacific Northwest region in the emerging companies category.
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History
The concept for Rover.com was the first-place winner in the Seattle Startup Weekend contest in June 2011. Greg Gottesman was among the team of software developers and designers who proposed the idea of an "online matchmaking service connecting pet owners in need of pet care with individuals who might want to take care of a canine companion for a few days." Gottesman, who is a managing director at Madrona Venture Group, a Seattle venture capital firm, shared the idea with Aaron Easterly, a 15-year tech veteran with a focus on online marketplaces. Aaron became CEO and Greg became a board member. The company first began connecting sitters in Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, then expanded to all 50 states in 2012.
On March 29, 2017, Rover.com acquired DogVacay in an all-stock deal. At that time, it was reported that total bookings on the combined sites amounted to $150 million in 2016, of which they kept about 20% in commission fees.
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Funding
Rover.com's first round of investment funding was secured in April 2012, led by Madrona Venture Group. Additional capital was secured in February 2013, from The Foundry Group. In July 2013, Petco announced an investment in Rover and a business partnership for cross-promotion with Petco's stores and website.
In March 2014, it was announced that Rover.com had raised an additional $12 million in funding led by Menlo Ventures, with Madrona Venture Group, The Foundry Group, and Petco. One year later, in March 2015, it was announced that Rover.com raised a $25 million funding round led by Technology Crossover Ventures.
How It Works
The concept of Rover.com is to help dog owners search for and find a reviewed, local dog sitter. Dog owners and dog sitters sign up for free on the website. The company screens potential sitters. Insurance is also provided.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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