Headlines

Rover.com Announces $65M Funding Round, Plans Expansion

Published

7 years ago

July 13, 2017

PETS+ Staff

It expects strong growth this year.

SEATTLE – Rover.com announced a $65 million round of funding that it plans to put toward expanding internationally and launching new services and tools for sitters and owners.

The financing round was led by Spark Capital and includes new investors Bespoke Strategies and StepStone Group. Existing shareholders Madrona Venture Group, Menlo Ventures, Foundry Group, OMERS Ventures and Technology Crossover Ventures also participated in the financing.

“We are delighted to partner with Aaron and the Rover team as they continue to build the world’s largest marketplace for pet services,” said Megan Quinn, general partner at Spark Capital. “The Rover platform has taken what was once a highly fragmented, distributed network of pet sitters and dog walkers and made arranging care an easy and secure experience. What is particularly unique about Rover is the deep well of vetted, reviewed caretakers they’ve cultivated over time that they can continue to leverage to offer additional services and enter new markets.”

As part of this round, Quinn will join Rover’s board of directors.

Rover said in a press release that it expects a 200 percent increase in net revenue in 2017. The company’s network of vetted sitters has grown more than 100 percent year-over-year to more than 140,000 throughout North America. More than 100,000 of the company’s sitters also offer dog-walking services on the platform.

“We find that people are increasingly looking for quality, technology-enabled services to make their lives easier and more enjoyable, and Rover is leading this movement for the pet care industry,” said Aaron Easterly, CEO of Rover. “With this significant funding from new and returning investors, we will continue to innovate on ways we can make it easier for pet parents to find and book every day pet care. Additionally, our global expansion will give people around the world the ability to know the love and joy of owning a pet.”

Rover recently acquired DogVacay and has since then been testing its platform in Canada.

NASC Media Spotlight

At first it was just an idea: Animal supplements needed the same quality control that human-grade supplements receive. But that was enough to start a movement and an organization —the National Animal Supplement Council — that would be dedicated to establishing a comprehensive path forward for the animal supplements industry. In this Media Spotlight interview, NASC’s president, Bill Bookout, talks to PETS+ interviewer Chloe DiVita about the industry today: Where it’s headed, what’s the latest focus and why it’s vital to gain the involvement of independent pet product retailers.