On-Demand Dog Walking App Wag! Launches In New York City after Success in Los Angeles and San Francisco
NEW YORK, May 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Wag!, the first app to provide dog owners with instant access to quality dog walkers, is announcing its launch in New York City on the heels of successful launches in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
In beta until now, there are currently nearly 100 dog walkers that cover all neighborhoods in the NYC metro area, with Wag! adding walkers weekly.
"With over 1 million dogs owned in New York City, combined with the fast pace and busy lives of New Yorkers, we believe Wag! will be greatly welcomed and will quickly become our largest market," said co-founder Joshua Viner. "New Yorkers love their dogs and we want to make it possible for even more people to have them."
Dog walkers can be summoned up to 30 minutes in advance, or scheduled regularly, and walks can be tracked through Wag!'s GPS "Puppy Tracker" in real-time. Users may also schedule an optional "meet and greet" with their walker ahead of time. When the walk is completed the owner receives a "report card" indicating distance travelled and time, along with a "pee/poo" record, a photo/video and any notes the walker may need to communicate. Currently the cost is $20 per dog for each half hour walk and $30 for a full hour, with an additional $5 per dog in the same household.
Launched in LA in January of 2015 Wag! has already seen rapid demand in cities around the country. "We like to think of ourselves as the Uber of dog walking. Essentially, we have placed a trusted and insured dog walker in your pocket, and for the first time your dog has its own app on your phone," added Viner.
Wag! was created based on Viner's hesitations to own a pet given his busy schedule as a tech entrepreneur in LA. Using his background in building consumer tech companies and scaling them to millions of users, Viner founded Wag! with the mission to make it easier to own a dog. Viner then connected with Jason Meltzer of Surfdog LA and asked him to join the Wag! team based on his vast experience in the industry as one of Los Angeles' best loved dog walking businesses.
Wag! also recently announced the closing of a $2.45 million seed round that was led by Freestyle Capital with other participants including Greylock, Crunchfund, Dave Morin's Slow Ventures, Social Leverage, and RRE. The funds will be used to fuel Wag!'s rapid expansion into additional major US markets, as well as expand the product offering and services.
About Wag!
Founded in January 2015, Wag! is an on-demand app-based mobile service that allows dog owners to hire fully trained, background checked, insured and bonded dog walkers for 30 to 60 minute walks. For every mile a dog walks with Wag!, 10 cents is donated to the Best Friends Foundation.
SOURCE Wag!
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