Petpal

Petpal is an e-commerce platform for pet owners.

Through Petpal, consumers can purchase everything they need for their pets — from food to medicine to toys.

Chewy.com, a similar e-commerce platform, became a huge success. The U.S.-based retailer was acquired by PetSmart in 2017 for $3.4 billion. In 2019, it went public, and has a current market cap of more than $13 billion.

But unlike Chewy.com, Petpal is targeting pet owners in India, one of the fastest-growing countries for pet ownership.

Between 2012 and 2017, the country’s domestic dog population grew annually by 77%. Today, there are an estimated 23 million dogs and 4 million cats.

Between now and 2024, the pet care market in India is expected to outpace growth in the worldwide market by more than three times. Petpal is aiming to capture this growth.

This company was founded in 2015. Its platform features more than 1,000 products. Shoppers can filter products by animal, brand, price, and category. Featured brands include Purina, Royal Canin, and Whiskas. Products can get delivered to customers' doors with free shipping.

To offer delivery, Petpal has partnerships with Swiggy and Dunzo. Swiggy is India’s largest food delivery startup, operating in 520 cities across the country and valued at $10.7 billion. Dunzo is a Google-backed delivery startup recently valued at $775 million.

Petpal also offers in-home veterinary care. With this service, pet parents can book veterinary appointments online and receive care in their own home. To facilitate this, Petpal has integrated its platform with Vetzz and Petzz, two Indian pet care marketplaces. These companies have a network of veterinarians ready to provide checkups and health screens when needed.

Petpal earns revenue through sales of its products. Basically, it purchases products from wholesale distributors at roughly 30% discounts to retail. It then passes along part of this discount to consumers and keeps the remainder.

On the healthcare side, Petpal receives a 20% commission on every vet appointment and 30% commission on all diagnostic services booked through its platform.

With funds raised, Petpal plans to offer a subscription package for preventative health, and a pet adoption portal.

Team Background

Swetang Sharma - Co-Founder & CTO

Swetang joined Petpal in September 2021 and leads the company’s technology strategy. In addition to his role with the company, he is the Founder of Petzz, a pet care services marketplace, and Vetzz, a network of veterinary doctors across India.

Prior to this, he was a a software programmer and mechanical engineer. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Vellore Institute of Technology.

Sri Gorthy - Co-Founder & CEO

Sri has served as Petpal’s CEO since 2015.

Before that, he worked at Google as a program lead on its hardware retail operations team. Prior to that, he worked for ADP, a management services company, and TATA Consultancy Services.

He holds a Master’s degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and a Master’s degree in International Management from Pondicherry University in India.

Shivangi Raina - Chief Veterinary Officer

Shivangi leads Petpal’s veterinary telehealth services. She's also a research assistant for Myvets Integrated Solutions, an animal welfare organization that provides services to zoos and wildlife theme parks.

Prior to joining the company, she worked at the Bombay Veterinary College, where she graduated with a degree in Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry.

Co-Investors