Technology
Cat-focused startup Meowtel has climbed to profitability despite struggling to raise capital from dog-focused VCs

According to data, “Dogs” are the most well-liked pet within the US: 65.1 million households have them American Pet Products Association. But while cats aren’t far off, with 46.5 million of them in households, much of the innovation within the pet category has focused solely on dogs. And despite the fact that the service serves each species, it’s more focused on dogs.
Sonya Petcavich, founding father of the cat care app Meowtel, believes cats and kittens deserve more.
When Petcavich’s cat, Lily, died in 2015, she realized she won’t have been the most effective cat mom. Petcavich traveled extensively for her job in sales for Philip Morris and was not home as much as she thought her older cat might need. She knew pet sitting services existed, but didn’t think they provided enough for her feline friends.
“There is a need for a service specifically for people caring for cats; they have very different needs,” Petcavich told TechCrunch. “Rover had been around for just a few years and Wag was gaining momentum, but they were too dog-focused. I said, “Fuck it, I’ll be a crazy cat to do it.”
She took $100,000 of her own money, began a development team, and launched Meowtel in 2015. The startup is a marketplace where cat owners can find cat sitters and only employs individuals who have direct experience in things like giving cats medications (cats are particularly prone to chronic diseases as we age) and take care of cats with special needs. Potential caregivers undergo a rigorous six-step process before they’re approved to join the applying. This features a 30-minute chat with the Meowtel team to confirm that it’s an actual person, which other sit-down sites don’t do. Petcavich joked that it was easier to get into Harvard than to change into a Meowtel keeper.
Since its founding, the corporate has operated mainly in secret. Petcavich said the corporate has only come out of hiding now since the team has put in a whole lot of work during the last nine years, built its brand and got users’ experience where they wanted it to be.
Meowtel is profitable, with gross booking revenue growing 50% year-on-year. The company employs greater than 2,200 caregivers on the platform, a few of whom have been with Meowtel for nine years. The company has processed greater than 95,000 seat applications and has largely focused on larger cities, including New York and Los Angeles. He wants to expand his activities to smaller cities as well.
Meowtel has gotten to this point by raising almost $1 million in enterprise capital. Of that total, $500,000 got here from angels including Jason Calacanis’ Launch and Elizabeth Yin, general partner at Hustle Fund. Additional capital got here from accelerator programs including Tech Wildcatters and Sputnik ATX. The company’s last financing took place in 2020.
Petcavich said raising money from enterprise capitalists was difficult since the enterprise capital community is more focused on dogs and lots of people didn’t understand why cats needed their very own caregiver. Petcavich stated that she nonetheless wanted to raise enterprise funding for Meowtel due to its market-based business model, which she felt was an excellent fit for VC investors. Additionally, due to the capital-intensive nature of market-based businesses, she felt that VC funds would make essentially the most sense.
He’s right that there seem to be many more venture-backed firms specializing in dogs than cats. There are several startups focused on areas akin to higher pet food, accessories, and even those specializing in health. Butternut Box, a British pet food company, has raised over $466 million in VC funding. ImpriMed, a canine oncology startup, raised $23 million in November, and Fi, a wise dog collar, raised greater than $40 million in enterprise capital.
When it comes to cats, there are noticeably fewer of them. Smalls, a fresh pet food company, is considered one of the few venture-funded firms on this category. This raised $19 million last 12 months, and its founder Matthew Michaelson told TechCrunch’s Christine Hall that he believed innovation within the pet category had largely focused on dogs.
But does the market really want or have the capability to provide a cat-only sitting service? Petcavich says yes, and her company’s track record and growth trajectory seem to back it up.
“In the 2020 era, there is a brand that caters to every specific type of audience,” Petcavich said. “These species are different, but no one makes this distinction. I think it was the psyche of the cat owner and the medical needs of the cat itself that really opened up this blue ocean.”
Technology
Uber customers can now earn Delta Skylile from rides or deliveries

Members of Delta Skys within the United States can now start earning points after they go along with Uber or order via Uber Eats as a part of the recently announced exclusive partnership between each corporations.
The reference to Delta was designed to further adapt the large riding at airports, which was historically a lucrative segment for Uber. The riding company also announced on Tuesday plans to expand the brand new product to the airport at a reasonable price to Atlanta at successful launch in New York.
The game at Uber airport appears at a time when market uncertainty, lower consumer trust and increased borders control lead many Americans to Reverse expenditure on travel This 12 months.
Perhaps such uncertainty signifies that now, greater than ever, customers given prices must find ways to play the system. Uber customers who joined the waiting list will have the option to attach their accounts from Tuesday and everybody else can start Thursday.
Here’s how Uber users with memberships of Delta Skyles can accumulate miles after connecting their accounts:
- Uber Je: 1 mile per dollar spent on orders over USD 40.
- Airport rides: 1 mile per dollar spent on Uberx rides on the airports.
- Premium rides: 2 miles for dollar spent on Uber Comfort or Uber Black.
- Uber Reserve: 3 miles for a dollar spent on Ubers reserved prematurely.
Uberr, riders cannot arrange miles by booking on the airport, but Uber spokesman said that the shopper would get skymes from a journey, which supplies the best prize.
In addition to the flexibility to get miles, Uber and Delta, they integrate in other ways. Customers who buy a flight using the Fly Delta application will have the option to cope with Uber reserve reservation in order that they can reserve a ride to the airport airport. And this 12 months, Skymile members who log in to Wi -Ifi during their flights will receive a 30% discount on reserving Uber for pickup after they land.
(Tagstotransate) delta
Technology
Palantir Exec defends work in the company’s immigration supervision

One of the founders of the Y startup accelerator Y Combinator offered this weekend the Palantir Data Analytical Company that doesn’t describe the controversial analytical company, running the company’s director to supply a broad defense of Palantir’s work.
Then it appeared forward federal applications He showed that American immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) – the task of conducting the aggressive strategy of the deportation of the Trump administration – pays Palantir $ 30 million for creating What does this call the immigration system operating systemSo immigration to assist ICE resolve who to direct to the deportation, and likewise offer “real -time visibility” in self -complacency.
Y founding father of Combinator Paul Graham divided the headlines about the Palantir contract on the subject of XWriting: “It is now a very exciting time in technology. If you are a first -rate programmer, there is a huge number of other places where you can work, and not in a company building infrastructure of a police state.”
In response, the global business head of Palantir Ted Mabrey wrote that “he is looking forward to the next set of employees who decided to submit a request to Palantir after reading your post.”
Mabrey didn’t discuss the details of the current work of Palantir with ice, but said that the company began cooperation with the Internal Security Department (in accordance with which ICE works) “in an immediate response to the assassination of agent Jaime Zapata by Zetas in an effort called Fallen Hero surgery. “
“When people live because of what you built and others were not alive, because what you built was not good enough yet, you develop a completely different view on the meaning of your work,” said Mabrey.
He also compared Graham’s criticism with protests on the Google Maven project in 2018, which ultimately prompted the company to stop the work of drone photos for the army. (Google then signaled that he again became more open to defense works.)
Mabrey called everyone interested in working for Palantir to read the latest book CEO Alexander Karp “The Technological Republic”, which claims that the software industry must rebuild its relationship with the government. (The company was Recruitment at university campus With signs declaring that “the moment of counting arrived west”)
“We employ believers,” Mabrey continued. “Not in the sense of the homogeneity of religion, but in the internal ability to imagine in something greater than you
Graham then Pressed Mabrey “To publicly commit himself on behalf of Palantir, so as not to build things that help the government violate the US constitution,” although he confirmed in one other post that such a commitment “would not have legal force.”
“However, I hope that if (they make a commitment) and a Palantir’s employee is one day asked to do something illegal, he will say” I didn’t join for it “and refused,” wrote Graham.
Mabrey in turn compared Graham’s query In order for “or” you promise to stop beating a trick in court, but he added that the company “has made so many ways from Sunday”, ranging from the commitment to “3,500 thoughtful people who polish only because they believe that they make the world a better place every day because they see their first hand.”
(Tagstotransate) palantir
Technology
Congress has questions about 23andme bankruptcy

3 The leaders of the Energy and Trade Committee said that they’re investigating how 23ndme’s bankruptcy can affect customer data.
Representatives of Brett Guthrie, Gus Biliakis and Gary Palmer (all Republicans) He sent a letter On Thursday, Joe Selsavage, Joe Selsavage, ask a variety of questions about how 23andme will serve customer data if the corporate is sold.
The letter also says that some customers have reported problems with deleting their data from the 23ndme website, and notes that corporations directly for consumption, reminiscent of 23andme, are generally not protected by the Act on the portability and accountability of medical insurance (Hipaa).
“Considering the lack of HIPAA protection, a patchwork of state regulations covering genetic privacy and uncertainty related to customer information in the case of transmitting the sale of company or clients data, we are afraid that this best -confidential information is threatened with a player,” representatives write.
23andme, which has decided to violate data For $ 30 million last 12 months, he applied for bankruptcy in Chapter 11 in March, and the co -founder and general director Anne Wojciki said he was resigning from the corporate’s private bidder.
(Tagstotransate) 23andme
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