Something other than an internet based pet store
Caring for a sick pet can be overwhelming—owners themselves suffer increased stress, anxiety and depression. The situation gets worse in case of an emergency. Thankfully, help is around in the form of Supertails, a first-of-its-kind platform that supports the ever-increasing pet parent community by providing trustworthy veterinary care and a one-stop solution for pet food and supplies.
“Supertails is differentiated by its unique proposition of being a fully digital tele-health consultation service made available through a team of highly experienced in-house veterinarians. With doorstep delivery service available across the country, we aim to bring the pet parents closer to the largest assortment of pet supplies from India and across the globe,” says the co-founder, Varun Sadana.
Supertails was launched officially in June 2021 and raised over $2.6 mn in pre-series A round, led by Saama Capital and DSG Consumer Partners. Other investors include film actress Deepika Padukone, Titan Capital, Sauce VC, and Whiteboard Capital. It is also backed by investors like Tej Kapoor, Pankaj Naik (executive director, Avendus capital), Abhay Hanjura and Vivek Gupta (founders, Licious).
This unique startup claims to be the largest online pet vertical player in the country, and on track to do more than `100 crore ARR by March 2023. The idea came into being after Aman Tekriwal (CFO – Licious), Vineet Khanna (SVP – Licious, AVP – Snapdeal) and Sadana (co-founder, Licious, VP – Snapdeal), became proud pet parents to Buttons, Satchmo and Nifty. “While becoming parents was a well thought of step, we soon realised the gray areas in pet parenting. From a lack of quality pet products to trustworthy veterinary services, there was so much that needed to be done. This thesis was backed by research where we realised that while 80% of the new pet parents in the West have had pets before, this phenomenon is completely opposite in India,” Sadana explains.
“Most pet parents were first-timers who needed support & right guidance. For them while becoming pet parents was an exciting and joyous event, the gray areas made the journey difficult. This led them to abandoning their pets during Covid-19. All of these events collectively pushed us to create an organised and accessible pet care ecosystem that’s digital first. And that’s how we created Supertails, your pet’s superstore,” he informs.
Cut to present. Supertails claims to have the largest assortment of 10,000+ SKUs and 200+ partner brands across pet food, treats, accessories, grooming etc. “We have also launched vet approved diets online and are the only player in the country to offer those products. We have had more than 20,000 online pet consultations under veterinary care and behavioural training through which we have successfully assisted pet parents in their journey,” he says.
As the number of pets increase, the demand for affordable, quality and accessible pet products (food, treats, accessories) and services (healthcare, vet, nutrition, insurance) will increase manifold.
