Rover.com

Rover.com
Private
Founded June 2011[1]
Founder Greg Gottesman
Aaron Easterly
Philip Kimmey
Headquarters Seattle, Washington, United States
Area served
 United States
Key people
 Aaron Easterly, CEO
Brent Turner, COO
Scott Porad, CTO
Jason Kreitzer, VP, Product Management & Marketplace
Teresa Kotwis, CFO
Website http://www.rover.com

Rover.com is a Seattle-based company selling pet services, including in-home dog boarding and pet sitting.[2] 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[3] or friends and family.[2] Rover.com was formally incorporated under the name A Place for Rover, Inc.[3]

The company has been featured in national and local media including The Wall Street Journal,[4] The New York Times,[5] Real Simple,[6] Today.com,[2] The Seattle Times,[3] and GeekWire.com.[7] 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.[8]

History

The concept for Rover.com was the first-place winner in the Seattle Startup Weekend contest in June 2011.[1] 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.”[3] 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.[1] The company first began connecting sitters in Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, then expanded to all 50 states in 2012.[3]

Funding

Rover.com's first round of investment funding was secured in April 2012, led by Madrona Venture Group.[1] Additional capital was secured in February 2013, from The Foundry Group.[1] In July 2013, Petco announced an investment in Rover and a business partnership for cross-promotion with Petco’s stores and website.[4]

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.[3] One year later, in March 2015, it was announced that Rover.com raised a $25 million funding round led by Technology Crossover Ventures.[9]

Concept

The concept of Rover.com is to help dog owners search for and find a reviewed, local dog sitter.[3] Dog owners and dog sitters sign up for free on the website.[2] The company screens potential sitters.[3] Insurance is also provided.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Cook, John (12 June 2011). "An Airbnb for your pet? A Place for Rover wins best in show at Startup Weekend". GeekWire. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Coffey, Laura T. (23 January 2014). "These folks let their careers go to the dogs (on purpose)". Today.com. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Radnovich, Connor (10 July 2012). "Dog owners go online to find alternatives to kennels". Seattle Times. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  4. 1 2 Basich, Doran (12 March 2014). "The Daily Startup: Rover.com Fetches $12 Million Led by Menlo Ventures". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  5. ↑ Wingfield, Nick (9 April 2012). "Finding a Sitter for Your Dog, via the Web". New York Times. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
  6. ↑ Stein-Christensen, Rachel (9 November 2013). "An Easy Way to Find a Good Pet Sitter". Real Simple. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  7. ↑ Cook, John (12 March 2014). "Rover.com fetches $12M, plans to expand dog sitting marketplace". GeekWire.com. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  8. ↑ Monk, Becky (23 June 2014). "Rover, Redfin and Zulily CEOs among Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year winners". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  9. ↑ Sopher, Taylor (19 March 2015). "Rover raises $25M for dog sitting marketplace, will expand to more cities". Geekwire. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
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