Wag! (http://www.wagwalking.com), the first app to provide dog owners with instant access to quality dog walkers, today announced the closing of a $2.45 million seed round as well as an official launch in a second city, San Francisco. The round was led by Freestyle Capital (freestyle.vc), and other participants including Greylock (http://www.greylock.com), Crunchfund (http://www.crunchfund.com), Dave Morin's Slow Ventures (http://slowventures.com), Social Leverage (http://www.socialleverage.com), and RRE (http://www.rre.com).
The funds will be used to fuel Wag!'s rapid expansion into additional major US markets beyond existing presence in Los Angeles and, most recently, San Francisco. Funds will also be used to expand the product offering & services.
In Beta for iOS users until now, there are currently 75 dog walkers that cover all neighborhoods in San Francisco. Dog walkers can be summoned up to 30 minutes in advance, or scheduled regularly, and walks can be tracked through GPS in real-time. Users may also schedule a 'meet and greet' with their walker ahead of time. A 'report card' is delivered through the app at the end of each walk including a picture, map of the walk, and behavior report. Currently the cost is $20 per dog for each half hour walk with an additional $5 per dog in the same household.
Launched in LA in January of 2015 Wag! has already seen rapid demand in cities around the country. 'We like to think of ourselves at the Uber of dog walking. Essentially, we have placed a trusted and insured dog walker in your pocket, and for the first time your dog has its own app on your phone,' said founder Josh Viner.
Wag! was created based on Viner's hesitations to own a pet given his busy schedule as a tech entrepreneur in LA. Using his background in building consumer tech companies and scaling them to millions of users, Josh founded Wag! with the mission to make it easier to own a dog. Viner then connected with Jason Meltzer of Surfdog LA and asked him to join the Wag! team based on his vast experience in the industry as one of Los Angeles' best loved dog walking, pet care and pet supply delivery businesses.
'This is just the beginning,' said Meltzer, Wag!'s co-founder and Chief Dog Officer. 'We're on our way to improving the lives of millions of dogs and dog owners.'
About Wag!
Founded in January 2015, Wag! is an on-demand app-based mobile service that allows dog owners to hire fully trained, background checked, insured and bonded dog walkers for 30 to 60 minute walks. The app notifies owners when their dog is picked up and allows them to follow the walk through Wag!'s GPS 'Puppy Tracker'. When the walk is finished the owner receives a report card indicating distance travelled and time, along with a 'pee & poo' record, a photo/video and any notes the walker may need to communicate. For every mile a dog walks with Wag!, 10 cents is donated to the Best Friends Foundation.