Wag (company)

Last updated
Wag Labs, Inc.
Company type Public
IndustryPet care
Founded2015;9 years ago (2015)
FounderBrendan Rogers
Joshua Viner
Jonathan Viner
Jason Meltzer [1]
Headquarters San Francisco, California, U.S.
Key people
Garrett Smallwood (CEO)
Olivia Munn (Creative Strategist)
Website wagwalking.com

Wag Labs (better known as simply Wag!) is an American pet care company that offers a technology platform to connect pet owners with independent pet professionals for on-demand and scheduled dog walking, training, and other petcare services through a mobile application. [2] The app has been referred to as "the Uber for Dogs". [3] [4]

Contents

History

Wag! was founded in 2015 in Los Angeles, California. [5] [6] In early 2018, Wag! raised $300 million in venture capital funds from Softbank. The company had previously raised $68 million in venture capital. [7] [8]

Celebrity users include Mariah Carey, Kendall Jenner, and Chloë Grace Moretz. Actress Olivia Munn serves as an investor and creative strategist. [9] [6]

In December 2019, the Wall Street Journal reported SoftBank sold its entire $300 million stake in Wag Labs back to the company at an investment loss. [10]

Wag! announced its bid to go public through a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) deal with CHW Acquisition Corp in February 2022 at a $350 million valuation. [11]

Criticisms and incidents

In June 2017, a Wag! contractor was videotaped allegedly "making himself at home" in a user's apartment, including resting on a sofa and taking beers. [12] In November 2017, a Wag! contractor was videotaped allegedly stealing packages from a New York City apartment building. [13] The New York Daily News reported on a dog lost by Wag! in September 2017, [14] and later finding the pet weeks later. [15]

In February 2020, a Yorkie named Bella was found dead after a Wag! Service. Wag! responded with a statement that included “safety is a company-wide priority for Wag! and incidents of this nature are very rare. In fact, the average service rating on the Wag! platform is 4.97 (on a 5-point scale), and every 8 seconds a service is booked on Wag! – with 90% of Wag! customers booking a service weekly.” [16]

Response to COVID-19

In March 2020, Wag! created a new service type called Wag! Now for miscellaneous pet care needs for pet owners in San Francisco. [17] The service was later released to the entire United States and Wag! partnered with GreaterGood.Org to create the #stayhomeandfoster initiative, connecting independent contractors with dog and cat rescues and shelters to deliver supplies and foster pets to foster homes. [18] As part of the initiative, Olivia Munn connected Henry Golding "with Wag! and GreaterGood.org. The two groups were able to find Golding the perfect match in Stella, a shelter dog from START Animal Rescue." [18] In February 2020, all Wag! employees shifted to remote work. The company released communications to pet owners and independent contractors on how best to complete walks with social distancing. According to Adweek, "pet care app Wag sent an email to its users encouraging pet owners to limit interaction with dog walkers by communicating through the in-app chat feature and having the dog’s harness and leash on ahead of time, making for a 'simple handoff.' The company also provides small lockboxes to pet owners who request them, making the exchange of household keys a no-contact situation—'essentially, a built-in social distance feature,' said a Wag spokesperson. According to Wag, nearly 70% of its services are completed with a lockbox or hidden key." [19]

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References

  1. ↑ Business, Sara Ashley O'Brien, CNN (27 September 2019). "Dog-walking startup Wag raised $300 million to unleash growth. Then things got messy". CNN. Retrieved 2020-06-08.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ↑ Alejandra Reyes-Velarde (February 1, 2018). "Softbank invests $300 million in dog-walking start-up Wag". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on March 21, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  3. ↑ Brown, Ruth (March 10, 2018). "'Uber for dogs' app has lost 3 NYC pooches in a month". New York Post. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  4. ↑ Ramos, Dante (July 13, 2018). "Can 'Uber for dogs' overcome the fear of strangers?". Boston Globe. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Wag Labs Company Profile: Valuation & Investors | PitchBook". pitchbook.com. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  6. 1 2 "Celebrity Endorsed Dog Walking App Scores $300 Million Investment". The Blast. February 1, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  7. ↑ Zhong, Raymond (January 30, 2018). "Wag, the Dog-Walking Service, Lands $300 Million From SoftBank Vision Fund". The New York Times .
  8. ↑ Piu, Lara (June 15, 2017). "We Tried a New Uber-Style Dog Walking Service. Here's What Happened". Phoenix New Times. 2018-06-15.
  9. ↑ "Dog-walking app Wag! names actress Olivia Munn as creative strategist". www.bizjournals.com. Biz Journals. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  10. ↑ Lombardo, Cara (2019-12-09). "SoftBank Is Selling Wag Stake Back to Company". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  11. ↑ "Dog Walking App Wag! To Go Public in SPAC Deal with CHW". Bloomberg.com. 3 February 2022.
  12. ↑ "Man Hired Through Dog-Walking App Gets Comfy In Client's Apartment". CBS New York. June 2, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Dog walker steals man's packages from Queens apartment". WPIX 11 New York. December 14, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  14. ↑ Ray, Esha; Dillon, Nancy (September 22, 2017). "Dog-walking service Wag! in the doghouse after losing another customer's pet". New York Daily News.
  15. ↑ Ray, Esha; McShane, Larry (October 14, 2017). "Long Island dog Buddy reunites with family after Wag! pet-sitter loses pup". New York Daily News.
  16. ↑ "Family Wants Answers After Dog's Mysterious Death During Hired Walk". NBC 6 South Florida. NBC. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  17. ↑ "Wag! Introduces Wag! Now To Help San Francisco Pet Parents in Need of Essential Pet Services During Coronavirus Pandemic". Benzinga. Benzinga. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  18. 1 2 Bender, Kelli. "Olivia Munn Helps Henry Golding Find the Perfect Foster Dog While Social Distancing". PEOPLE.com. People. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  19. ↑ Hiebert, Paul. "How Services That Come to Your Door Are Coping With COVID-19". www.adweek.com. AdWeek . Retrieved 23 April 2020.
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