Digitail, an app for vets and their customers, raises $2.5M Seed round led by byFounders
Digitail, a cloud service for veterinary surgeries and customers, has raised $2.5M in a Seed round led by byFounders and Gradient Ventures (Google's AI fund), joined by Partech and a series of angels including as Dr. Ivan Zakharenkov (Smartflow). The startup was already backed (pre-seed round in 2019) by Fast Track Malmo. Digitail is currently used by 2,000 veterinarians in 16 countries.
Digitail says its all-in-one" practice management system for animal hospitals and veterinary practices helps vets simplify their workflow, drive automation, and engage with pet parents, even when they are not at the practice."
For pet owners Digital had a Health Card for pets, a customer app that is directly connected to the PIMS and acts as a digital ID for the pets. This holds the pet's medical history, and allows the owner to communicate with the vet through the in-app chat, book their next appointment, and store any other important information about their pet.
The founders are Sebastian Gabor (CEO and co-founder), Ruxandra Pui (CPO and co-founder). They are joined by Alexandru Gheorghita, DVM, in-house veterinarian specialist.
Gabor said in a statement: Pet care is still being run like in the 90s. Because of the lack of a holistic vision and approach, there is no data unification and no collaboration between the key players of the industry. As a result, vets still need to rely on outdated tools while collaboration and innovation is stopped."
Competitors include Rhapsody.vet which has raised an $8M Series A, Ezyvet, and Hippo Manager, among others. But Digitail says its all-in-one approach has an edge on the others.
According to some estimates, some 39% of pet owners in the United States are millennials. Digitail is thus finding business among veterinarians surfing a new generation of customers who expect to be able to make bookings and arrangements with their vet via an app. Just as with apps aimed at doctor's surgeries, Digitail's platform handles that incoming customer data and also allows the surgery to run. The pet care industry is predicted to reach a value of $200 billion by 2025.