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Putting an end to a fierce competition to dominate the pet-sitting business, Rover and DogVacay have agreed to join forces. Rover<\/a> will be acquiring DogVacay<\/a> in an all-stock deal.<\/p>\n DogVacay\u2019s investors, including Benchmark, Andreessen Horowitz, First Round and Foundation Capital, will now become Rover shareholders. Further terms of the deal were not disclosed, but \u201call of our investors are extremely happy with their return,\u201d claimed DogVacay founder Aaron Hirschhorn.<\/span><\/p>\n Existing Rover CEO Aaron Easterly will remain in charge. Aaron Hirschhorn, who founded DogVacay, will still remain involved throughout the integration and will be taking a board seat.<\/p>\n \u201cWe get to continue\u00a0the mission,\u00a0that\u2019s what\u2019s so exciting,\u201d said Hirschhorn about the company sticking to its core business. The DogVacay website will remain in operation for the foreseeable future\u00a0and the businesses will continue to run as they have.<\/span><\/p>\n Both had a very similar business model, with a marketplace for pet-sitting, dog-walking and other pet\u00a0care services. Each take\u00a0about a 20 percent cut from bookings. Total bookings on the combined sites amounted to\u00a0$150 million for 2016. The growing businesses are not yet profitable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The\u00a0newly combined company will be headquartered at Rover\u2019s Seattle location. Santa Monica-based DogVacay will remain in operation, but with 22 positions set to be eliminated.<\/p>\n One of the new focuses will be to expand internationally. DogVacay already does well in Canada, which Easterly was enthusiastic about. They also plan to expand their dog-walking business and potentially introduce other pet-related categories.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to be taking a close look at anything that can help people become amazing pet owners despite the challenges of modern living,\u201d said Easterly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When asked about future plans, he hoped for an IPO someday. \u201cWe think being a public company is the most likely outcome,\u201d\u00a0he predicted.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2014\/11\/dogvacay.jpg?w=680\")
Putting an end to a fierce competition to dominate the pet-sitting business, Rover and DogVacay have agreed to join forces. Rover will be acquiring DogVacay in an all-stock deal. DogVacay’s investors, including Benchmark, Andreessen Horowitz, First Round and Foundation Capital, will now become Rover shareholders. Further terms of the deal were not disclosed, but “all of our… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/img><\/a>
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