 | |
| Company type | Privately held |
|---|---|
| Industry | Pet insurance |
| Founded | 11 September 2003 |
| Founders | Chris and Natasha Ashton |
| Headquarters | 101 Greenwich St., , USA |
Area served | United States and Canada |
Key people | Paul Guyardo (CEO) |
Number of employees | 200+ |
| Website | www |
Fetch is a pet insurance provider, helping pet owners cover veterinary bills in the United States and Canada.
Fetch was founded in September 2003 by husband and wife entrepreneurs Chris and Natasha Ashton after experiencing a high veterinary bill. [1] [2] In November 2003, Fetch Inc. was awarded the exclusive license for the Petplan brand in the United States. [3] In July 2006, the company began selling its first policies, [4] and started selling policies online later that year. The company formed partnerships with animal shelters, veterinarians, and health insurance providers to help sell 120,000 policies by 2014. [5] The company launched fetch!, a glossy quarterly pet health magazine, in November 2008. [6]
In 2019, Petplan hired Paul Guyardo as the new CEO. [7] The same year it was acquired by private equity firm, Warburg Pincus. At the time, it had 200 employees and $130 million in annual sales. [8] Since the acquisition, the company expanded into technology including a mobile app for communication and accessing insurance plans. [9]
In 2020, The Dodo took a minority stake in Petplan, now known as Fetch, not to be confused with Petplan in Australia, which is now called Petcover. The rebranding was announced in 2022. More information about Petcover in Australia can be found at . [9] [10]
Fetch offers insurance for pets in the United States. It insures cats and dogs beginning at six weeks old with annual benefits ranging $2,500 to unlimited. [11] Fetch extended its coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new service covered treatment of a covid-infected pet, boarding of a pet if an owner was infected, adding a pet guardian to a plan, and all virtual vet visits. [12]
A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive/cute appearances, intelligence, and relatable personalities, but some pets may be taken in on an altruistic basis and accepted by the owner regardless of these characteristics.
Pet adoption is the process of transferring responsibility for a pet that was previously owned by another party. Common sources for adoptable pets are animal shelters, rescue groups, or other pet owners. Some organizations give adopters ownership of the pet, while others use a guardianship model wherein the organization retains some control over the animal's future use or care.
Iams is an American brand of dog food and cat food manufactured by Spectrum Brands in Europe and Mars, Incorporated worldwide. The food is formulated for the puppy/kitten, adult and mature stages of life. Veterinary formulas for pets with special dietary requirements are also produced.
Vernon W. Hill II is an American businessman, the founder and former chairman of Metro Bank, a UK retail bank with 77 stores, and assets of £7.4b ($10.6b). He was also the founder, former chairman, president and CEO of Commerce Bancorp of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and chairman of pet insurance firm Fetch Inc. In 2016, Hill was named chairman of Philadelphia-based Republic Bank.
PetSmart Inc. is a privately held American chain of pet superstores, which sell pet products, services, and small pets. It is the leading North American pet company, and its direct competitor is Petco. Its indirect competitors are Amazon, Walmart, and Target. As of 2020, PetSmart has more than 1,650 stores in the United States and Canada. Its stores sell pet food, pet supplies, pet accessories, and small pets. Stores also provide services including grooming, dog daycare, dog and cat boarding, veterinary care via in-store third-party clinics, and dog training. They also offer dog and cat adoption via in-store adoption centers facilitated by the non-profit PetSmart Charities.
A pooper-scooper, or poop scoop, is a device used to pick up animal feces from public places and yards, particularly those of dogs. Pooper-scooper devices often have a bag or bag attachment. 'Poop bags' are alternatives to pooper scoopers, and are simply a bag, usually turned inside out, to carry the feces to a proper disposal area. Sometimes, the person performing the cleanup is also known as the pooper-scooper.
Pet insurance is a form of insurance that pays, partly or in total, for veterinary treatment of the insured person's ill or injured pet. Some policies will pay out when the pet dies, or if the pet is lost or stolen.
Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc. is an American pet retailer with corporate offices in San Diego and San Antonio. Petco sells pet food, products, and services, as well as certain types of live small animals.
Royal Canin is a French manufacturer and global supplier of cat and dog food. The company is a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated. It undertakes research into the specific nutritional needs of dogs and cats.
Veterinary oncology is a subspecialty of veterinary medicine that deals with cancer diagnosis and treatment in animals. Cancer is a major cause of death in pet animals. In one study, 45% of the dogs that reached 10 years of age or older died of cancer.
Woodgreen Pets Charity was founded in 1924 by Miss Louisa Snow. She had been concerned at the large number of abandoned and injured animals on the streets of London following the First World War. This led to her opening a centre in a house in Lordship Lane, North London.
Dechra Pharmaceuticals plc is a business involved in the development and marketing of veterinary products based in Northwich, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was acquired by EQT Partners in January 2024.
Banfield Pet Hospital is a privately owned company based in Vancouver, Washington, United States, that operates veterinary clinics. Part of the Mars Inc. family of companies, Banfield owns clinics in the United States, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Founded in 1955, the company operates many of its 1,000 plus clinics inside PetSmart stores. Banfield is the largest privately owned veterinary practice in the United States. On April 2, 2014, Banfield Pet Hospital announced its headquarters would be relocating to Vancouver, Washington, from nearby Portland, Oregon.
Pets at Home is a British pet supplies retailer selling pet products including food, toys, bedding, medication, accessories and pets. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. Founded in 1991, the company operates 453 stores across the UK, as well as an online store. Pets at Home also provides a range of services such as grooming, veterinary care and dog training.
Trupanion, founded in 1998, is a pet insurance provider based in Seattle, Washington that administers cat and dog insurance in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Puerto Rico. Trupanion is self-underwritten by the American Pet Insurance Company (APIC).
Joshua Jordan Harris is an American investor, sports team owner, and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of the private equity firm Apollo Global Management and managing partner of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers, the NHL's New Jersey Devils, and the NFL's Washington Commanders. Harris is also a general partner of the English football club Crystal Palace and owns a minority stake in Joe Gibbs Racing. He has an estimated net worth of around US$9 billion.
The Dodo is an American media brand and digital publisher focused on telling animals' stories. The Dodo is headquartered in New York City.
David Scott Blitzer is an American investor and sports team owner. He is a senior executive at the private equity firm Blackstone and co-managing partner of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and NHL's New Jersey Devils. A native of New Jersey, he graduated from Penn's Wharton School and joined Blackstone in 1991. Blitzer and Apollo Global Management co-founder Josh Harris are frequent business partners, with the pair establishing Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment in 2017.
Pet Plan Limited, trading as Petplan, is a London-based pet insurance company. It is a subsidiary of Allianz Insurance plc, part of the Allianz Global Group. Petplan is the largest pet insurance provider in the UK.
Whistle Labs Inc. is a subsidiary of Mars Petcare headquartered in San Francisco, California. It produces and markets the Whistle GPS Pet Tracker, a device worn on a pet's collar that monitors its activity and location. In addition to pet owners, the devices have been used by veterinary researchers.