DogHero, the Airbnb for Dogs, Announced a $ 7 Million Investment

This amount came, on the one hand, "From a similar company operating in the United States, one of the largest in the world in this segment, which bought a minority part of our company.Here the market is highly developed, they also work in Canada and Europe ", explained the Brazilian Eduardo Baer, one of the founders of DogHero, in dialogue with domain.com. The other part was provided by a Mexican fund.

The investment, as he explained, will be aimed at platform development and management of the host community. Expect new investments in the future.

The company was created by Baer and his partner Fernando Gadotti, two pet lovers who met in an MBA at Stanford. "It was hard for me to have a dog, because with my wife, we traveled a lot and we had no one to go with. I started talking with friends and they told me that it was also complicated for them, because they did not trust the kindergartens and that They had to find a family member available. But my family lived 3,000 kilometers. There the idea is born "he remembered.

The occasion was served on a platter. "In Brazil, there are 52 million dogs and in Latin America, 100 million, then I realized that it would be a good project"he remarked. Baer had accumulated experience of digital products in Brazil and within a US-based shared-economy company that operated under the name of Airbnb, the extended room booking platform, but dedicated to cars. Then he began to develop the "Airbnb for dogs".

In the app, available on iOs and Android, users can select hosts depending on the type of house (house, apartment, fifth), number of walks that the host promises to give to the animal, the size of the yard and even the ability to provide the animal with oral or injectable medications. In addition, the hosts detail in their profile the experience they have in animal care, how they prepare their house to receive the guests and what will be the routine of the animals in the residence. Owners can also receive videos and photos about the treatment your animals receive.

"Trust is very important, which is why the hosts have to fill out a form and badyze all the data.We have automatic filters and a team that examines each profile and checks the information." Customers can arrange a pre-meeting to meet them personally.If they do not reach an agreement, we monitor what happened. ", describes Baer.

"The animator is gaining reputation, there are those who have 1000 ratings and the five stars.You can write comments saying," I left it from this day to the present day "and describe the experience lived, " he added.

Another point to emphasize is the veterinary guarantee which, in case of animal health problem, ensures that the host transfers it to the vet and covers the costs.: "After reimbursement of all costs up to $ 15,000".

In 2014, it started operating in Brazil, in 2017 in Argentina and in 2018 in Mexico. By 2020, it is planned to be operational in two or three other countries.

Projections in Argentina

According to a market study, 80% of Argentines have at least one animal at home, mainly dogs. "We have 1,000 hosts and 50,000 dogs registered in Argentina and it works in all provinces"Baer informed.

"40% of the hosts are located in Buenos Aires, but there are also many in Córdoba, Rosario and Salta, we have users in more than 70 cities", he said.

This $ 7 million capital injection should enable the application to reach its next big goal: "We are planning strong growth, we want to close 2020 with 10 thousand guests"he advanced.

For Baer, ​​the biggest competition is between friends or family. "90% leave dogs with them, that's why we are always looking to improve our product so that it is a better alternative".

In times of crisis, do not forget to mention the money that housing can represent. "A lot of people do it because they like dogs, but it also represents an extra income – there are even those who become professionals after a while.", badures one of the founders of DogHero. The company calculates that a host can earn between $ 150 and $ 300 per night, which can vary depending on the season of the year.

To start, an application designed to make life easier for its users and has managed to change a little that of its creator, resistant to adopt a pet for the difficulties that were presented on each trip "Now I have a bitch", Confia Baer, "It's called Amora".