The Vets Gets $40M in Funding Toward Tech-Focused Pet Care

Tech-focused pet care platform The Vets has announced $40 million in seed funding, according to a press release emailed to PYMNTS.

The funding will go towards prioritizing expansion for recruitment nationwide. Currently, the company operates in Miami, Tampa, Dallas, Austin, Houston, Portland, Seattle, Las Vegas and Denver.

Additionally, the company will begin operating in New York as of Jan. 24, and The Vets plans to expand to 25 cities total by the end of the year.

Per the press release, the goal of the company is to add flexibility for pet care and bring back “the novelty of the family vet,” letting practitioners visit peoples’ homes, sit more extensively with families and talk about medical conditions or preventative care, along with offering client education, nutrition information and more.

“For too long, veterinarians have been overworked, underpaid, and under-appreciated,” said Daniel Sagis, CEO and co-founder of The Vets. “At our core, we believe happy, healthy pets come from happy, healthy vets.

“This funding round will further position The Vets as the next generation of pet healthcare, leveraging preemptive technology, allowing us to strengthen our footprint and penetrate new markets much more efficiently and effectively.”

The round was backed by Target Global, an international investment and brand building firm, along with PICO Venture Partners.

Along with other types of commerce, pet care has been evolving to catch up with the digital world. Last year, retailer PetSmart rolled out The Pharmacy at PetSmart, an online portal created to help pet owners get medicines and prescriptions shipped to them.

Related: PetSmart Debuts Online Pharmacy

PetSmart customers with active vet prescriptions can visit the site, find the right medications and then check out from there.

According to PYMNTS, customers who order $49 or more on the site get free shipping. The online pharmacy is administered via fulfillment partner Allivet, a licensed pharmacy and provider of meds and veterinary supplies.