For pet care startups across the globe, raising venture money is like shooting fish in a barrel thanks to a pandemic puppy boom that pushed the industry past the $100 billion mark.
In the U.S., 11 million new pet owners are driving demand for everything from vet care to wearables and pampering products.
Virtual pet clinics are now a Venture Capitalist’s best friend, as startups like San Francisco-based Fuzzy, Stockholm-based FirstVet, and Spain’s Barkibu raise millions to expand virtual care.
In Canada, one of those companies is Vetsie.
Launching at the beginning of August across Western Canada, Vetsie has raised a $300,000 investment round led by Vancouver’s First Fund to provide virtual pet care services.
Vetsie offers both a virtual care platform for veterinary clinics and their professionals and a marketplace app for pet parents allowing both parties to easily communicate and facilitate veterinary care for pets.
Modernizing the way pet care is delivered, Vetsie will allow pet parents to speak with veterinary professionals via 1-1 live chat messaging and scheduled audio and video appointments any day of the week.
“With pet adoption spiking during COVID-19, and Vetsie already being in beta pilot tests with several vet clinics, this is a great opportunity for us to get involved early with a very blue-sky startup,” First Fund’s Samarth Chandola told BetaKit regarding the investment.
Vetsie was founded by Vancouverite Alex Chieng.
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