Rover.com, a US-based pet sitting and dog walking service that counts pet product seller Petco as an investor, has raised $65m in a round led by venture capital firm Spark Capital.
Investment manager Bespoke Strategies, investment firm StepStone Group, VC firms Madrona Venture Group, Menlo Ventures, Foundry Group and Omers Ventures, and growth equity firm Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV) also participated in the round.
Founded in 2011, Rover offers a range of services including pet sitting, dog walking, in-home dog boarding and pet day care to customers in the US and Canada, and also operates a dog-themed online media platform called Daily Treat.
The company, which has built a network of more than 140,000 sitters, expects to increase revenue by 200% in 2017. The capital will support global growth and the introduction of new services and tools for both pet sitters and owners.
Aaron Easterly, chief executive of Rover, said: “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.
“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 has now raised approximately $156m in funding in total. Petco led a $3.5m round for the company in 2013 and returned for a $12m series C round the following year that was led by Menlo Ventures and backed by Foundry Group and Madrona.
TCV led Rover’s $25m series D round in 2015, investing together with Petco, Foundry Group, Madrona and Menlo. Rover’s last round was a $40m series E in October 2016 featuring the latter three.