February 25, 2022

Doobert, Made By Nacho

🐶 Industry News

–  Recently spoke with Chris Roy, the founder of Doobert, a company that creates software for animal rescues. Several years ago, Chris, a private pilot, started flying pets from shelters that euthanize to rescues and no-kill shelters. After numerous flights, he started building a system to track the different pets, shelters and routes. Soon, other pet rescuers began using his software and, today, more than 32,000 volunteers at over 1,200 organizations use the free platform.  

Chris also hosts The Animal Innovations Show, a weekly podcast focused on both animal welfare organizations and the latest technology for the pet industry. Chris is looking to connect with both rescue organizations and pet tech companies interested in appearing on his podcast. He can be contacted via his website or through LinkedIn.     

– Recent earnings reports from some of the big pet companies:

• Zoetis, the world’s largest pet company, had revenue of $7.8 billion for 2021, an increase of 6% over 2020. Just under half of its revenue comes from outside the US.
• Trupanion pet insurance had total revenue of $699 million for 2021. The second largest US pet insurer, it now covers 1,176,000 pets, a 36% increase over last year. Trupanion is in the process of creating a pet food product for its customers.
• Swedencare, a provider of pet health supplements, had gross revenue of $170 million for 2021. The company expects 2022 sales to exceed $400 million, with much of the growth coming from acquiring other supplement companies.

💰 Financing & Deals

• Made By Nacho, a cat food brand created by celebrity chef Bobby Flay, closed a $14 million Series A round. Founded in 2021, the company sells directly from its website and in PetSmart stores. The Mars’ Companion Fund is an investor.

• I and Love and You, a Boulder-based maker of natural pet food, closed a Series C round from L Catterton. While the amount was not disclosed, the company has received over $26 million in funding since its founding in 2012. The company has more than 1.6 million pet customers.

🤷‍♂️ Somewhat Relevant

• The New York Times takes a skeptical look at paleo, vegan and gluten-free diets for pets.

• Pet Acoustics, a maker of calming music for dogs and cats, has released a free home pet hearing test.

• Pawtocol, a cryptocurrency focused on the pet industry, was up more than 50% last week.

💼️ Pet Industry Jobs

• Director of Strategy – Bond Vet (NYC)

• Director of Lifecycle Marketing – Bark (NYC)

• Software Engineer – Dogdrop (Los Angeles)