Unfortunately, everyone has heard countless tales of animal mistreatment at puppy stores. While we may think that going to a breeder is better, the reality may differ. The same goes for adopting a dog from a shelter. Good Dog is on a mission to provide transparency around the dog acquisition process. The newly-launched startup has built the first, expert-backed marketplace that allows people to get a dog from a vetted breeder, shelter, or rescue. Dog owners now have peace of mind by guiding and educating them throughout the process.
AlleyWatch sat down with CEO and cofounder Josh Wais to learn about the inspiration for the company, its future plans, and new round of funding.
Who were your investors and how much did you raise?
We have raised $6.7M in funding from investors including BoxGroup, Felicis, Slow Ventures, Fuel Capital, BarkBox, and SV Angel, as well as top angel investors including the founders of Warby Parker, Harry’s, Eventbrite, Flatiron Health, PillPack, LearnVest, and DogVacay.
Tell us about the product or service that Good Dog offers.
Good Dog is the first marketplace to use expert-backed vetting standards to make it simple for people to get a dog from a responsible breeder, shelter, or rescue. We’ve worked alongside our advisory board of leading veterinary and academic experts to create a set of standards that we apply to all members of the Good Dog community in order to give prospective pet owners peace-of-mind throughout their search. By helping educate prospective owners and facilitating the process from start to finish, we help people find and bring home the right dog for them.
What inspired you to start Good Dog?
My cofounders and I were all in the initial stages of our own dog search, when we discovered that the process, especially online, is broken. Opacity, disaggregation, and a lack of expertise – combined with a huge increase in demand for dogs – was putting more and more dogs in harm’s way. We knew there had to be a way to make the process of getting a dog trustworthy and simple, and we were surprised this didn’t already exist.
How is Good Dog different?
At Good Dog, we’re focused on creating a movement to bring standards and transparency to the market. We’ve created the first set of expert-backed standards, breed by breed, to focus on responsible breeding practices. Our standards are set up to focus on the health and well-being of each dog to give them their best shot at a well-adjusted, healthy life. By creating a straightforward experience for all parties involved, we allow everyone to spend more time making the right match, and less time hassling with logistics.
What market does Good Dog target and how big is it?
There are 9M dogs brought into new homes each year, creating a major opportunity within the $72B pet industry.
What’s your business model?
Good Dog is an all-encompassing platform that provides transparency and efficiency in order to take the guesswork out of the often confusing and overwhelming dog search process. We work with a community of vetted breeders, shelters, and rescues from across the country to centralize the dog search to a singular destination where only responsible sources are recognized. We support prospective owners through the entire process, from deciding what type of dog is right for them all the way to bringing their new best friend home.
Who do you admire in the startup world and why?
We’re big admirers of our former CEO at Jet.com, Marc Lore. Marc is a truly unique founder with unbelievable vision. He’s deeply inspirational and drove all of us to do our best, while also being incredibly kind and empathetic.
What was the funding process like?
What’s been most exciting is the chance to work with investors across a wide spectrum of industries – many of whom have disrupted stagnant industries and are building today’s top household names.
The expertise across such a diverse group has been invaluable as we’ve been building Good Dog.
What are the biggest challenges that you faced while raising capital?
As an early stage company, we wanted to be extra careful to raise from investors that would be aligned with our vision and be able to contribute to our success, which can sometimes be hard to tell from the surface. We worked hard to dig deeper and are very grateful for the group of investors we’ve brought together.
As an early stage company, we wanted to be extra careful to raise from investors that would be aligned with our vision and be able to contribute to our success, which can sometimes be hard to tell from the surface. We worked hard to dig deeper and are very grateful for the group of investors we’ve brought together.
What factors about your business led your investors to write the check?
Good Dog is the first trusted marketplace for getting a dog. There are 9M dogs going into new homes in the US every year, but the experience of getting a dog is stuck in the past, and the market is totally broken. We’re transforming the experience of getting a dog into what it should be – modern, trustworthy and hassle-free.
What are the milestones you plan to achieve in the next six months?
We hope to use our latest funding to scale the business and grow our team.
What advice can you offer companies in New York that do not have a fresh injection of capital in the bank?
Whether your company recently raised money or not, my advice would be to carefully think through your milestones and then don’t let them slip. If you plan well and hit your goals, the money will be there when you need it.
Where do you see the company going now over the near term?
We see Good Dog becoming the default destination for getting a dog responsibly.
What’s your favorite restaurant in the city?
I’ll tell you one of my cofounder’s, Tamarind in Tribeca.
