“I was always a very entrepreneurial person… always wanted to build a brand,” Mrinalini Khusape, founder and CEO of PawPurrfect, tells Entrackr.
Khusape has had rich corporate experience spanning 18 years across sectors including automotive, media, and more. Before launching her own startup, she worked with firms like Skoda India and HT Media.
Khusape pivoted to the startup world a few years ago when she struggled to get proper care, including healthcare and diagnosis, for a rescue cat. The poor experience encouraged her to start something that would make it easier for pet parents to handle such situations.
Launched in 2021, Mumbai-based PawPurrfect currently serves as an online marketplace for various pet care services, ranging from grooming, training, boarding, sitting, and more. The startup also offers pet pathology tests and insurance.
PawPurrfect is one of several early-stage startups that is looking to tap into India’s pet care industry, which is projected to reach Rs 21,000 crore by 2023 at a CAGR of 19.2%.
In the last few months, various startups have raised VC funding as well, including Drools, Zoivane Pets, and Goofy Tails. Startups like Heads Up For Tails are already visible [offline] in bigger cities.
PawPurrfect has also raised over $300,000 in pre-seed funding from 9Unicorns Fund and a clutch of individual investors.
Even as the pet care space is gradually getting formalized and interest from startup founders and VCs, it is still at a nascent stage and pretty much fragmented. Also with the number of pet parents increasing, there is a big demand, which will definitely grow going by the above-mentioned projections.
Amid this, Khusape’s PawPurrfect strives to make it easier for pet parents to access quality services. For instance, the mobile app allows pet parents to enter their pets’ details and book a professional. The company charges a commission on the transactions. The amount may vary depending on the services one avails from the platform.
For a pre-seed stage firm, PawPurrfect has managed to gain some traction with over 1 lakh downloads for its users-side mobile app, and 7,000 downloads for its sellers version. The company currently operates in Mumbai and Pune.
PawPurrfect’s next bet, however, is not just the routine services. The company is looking to stand out with pet pathology tests and pet insurance services.
“In the future, the growth in pet ownership will not be matched by growth in the number of vets. Pet health is bound to become more expensive and at times out of reach if the health issue crosses a certain threshold. Given the scenario, preventive health management is the way to go. This means ensuring pathology tests to track health year on year and buying health insurance which is very comprehensive but one can pick and choose what is needed,” she said.
The founder said that the startup is also in talks to raise more funds to further build on the traction and use case built at an early stage. Future initiatives include doubling down on existing services and expanding into new markets. She did not disclose more details about the upcoming funding and timeline for it.
