SUMMARY

The round was mix of debt and equity, led by V3 Ventures with participations from other family offices and angel investors

Dr. Doodley plans to open four more round-the-clock vet hospital in Bengaluru, along with launching 30-minute vet-at-home services

Dr. Doodley currently operates a team of 35 doctors across three 24/7 hospitals in Bengaluru, which offer in-house diagnostics, imaging, surgeries, and more

Pet healthcare startup Dr. Doodley has raised $3.3 Mn (about INR 30 Cr) in its pre-Series A round, which was a mix of equity and debt, led by V3 Ventures. It also saw participation from Campus Fund, Thackersey Family Office, and angel investors, including 360 ONE Wealth founders Yatin Shah and Karan Bhagat and Dalmia Bharat Group MD Gautam Dalmia.

The funding round comprised INR 20 Cr equity and INR 10 Cr debt.

The Bengaluru-based startup operates a hospital-backed, round the clock vet-at-home and multi-specialty pet hospital network. It plans to use the capital to open four new multispeciality pet hospitals in Bengaluru over the next 12 months.

The startup also plans to roll out 30-minute vet-at-home services and introduce flat INR 10,000 pricing for all surgeries, with plans to enter other tier I cities later this year. It is aiming to treat 1 Lakh pets in the next year and increase the number of veterinary doctors on its payroll to 100.

Dr. Doodley currently operates a team of 35 doctors across three 24/7 hospitals in Bengaluru, which offer services like in-house diagnostics, imaging, surgeries, blood tests, and specialised in-patient care.

The startup was founded in 2023 by Utsav Bisaria and Yash Jayprakash Ladda who as pet parents understood the gaps in animal healthcare and the need for specialised at-home care due to travel constraints posed by anxious pets. Through at-home healthcare services backed by in-patient hospital care when needed, the startup is trying to solve both these pain points.

The demand for pet healthcare services is rising, with the sector projected to grow to INR 50,000 Cr size by 2030. The overall market for petcare in India is also expected to hit INR 2.1 Lakh Cr by 2032. 

Many startups have emerged over the past few years to fill the gaps in this highly fragmented market. These include ecommerce platform Supertails, which has raised a total of $27.6 Mn across multiple rounds, and D2C brand Heads Up For Tails, which has bagged a total funding of close to $50 Mn. While product-led startups have fared better in this space, those offering services like grooming and healthcare are also growing. 

In December, veterinary clinic chain Dr. Paws raised INR 29.3 Cr ($3.3 Mn), in a mix of debt and equity, in its pre-Series A round led by Chiratae Ventures.

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