In 2018, while pursuing his MBA from SIBM Pune, Yash Sathe took in a paralysed rescue pup named Leah. The incident would later become the turning point for Sathe to launch a pet-care startup, Pawzeeble.
Leah had leg paralysis and suffered from severe anxiety and drooling. “She would start barking in the middle of the night,” Yash recalls. As he searched for the right people to guide him on how to care for Leah, he discovered that India lacked the infrastructure to support responsible pet parenting.
“Even though there was Facebook, Instagram, Google, Quora… it was challenging to find the right person,” he says. That realisation led to the idea of creating a dedicated platform for pet parents and pets in India.
Sathe, 29, began building a pet-parenting community where people could ask questions like what to feed their pets, when to visit a vet, or how to care for different breeds.
After a year of research, he officially founded Pawzeeble in 2019. He initially partnered with NGOs and foster homes to create pet profiles for adoption. This early version of Pawzeeble has a mobile app, and saw 23,000 downloads and helped more than 100 animals get adopted.
But the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted plans. The tech company that had developed the Pawzeeble app shut down, leaving the startup without technical support. Sathe decided to build Pawzeeble’s tech-based platform, this time with AI at its core.
“Unless the service sector is organised, it’s hard for pet parents to manage things like vaccinations, medical records, and seasonal illnesses,” he explains.
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Building an ecosystem, not just an app
In late 2021, Sathe restructured the company to focus on building a tech-driven ecosystem. The first step was launching Pawzeeble Vets, a digital platform for veterinary clinics. This tool offered appointment booking, medical documentation, and inventory management, all tailored to Indian clinics. Unlike foreign alternatives, Pawzeeble’s offering was affordable and localised.
The startup began with a focus on Pune and Mumbai, and by mid-2022 had a presence in 39 cities, including Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Surat, and Guwahati. Today, over 380 clinics and 600 veterinarians use Pawzeeble Vets.
The platform also enables video and in-person vet appointments. It allows users to store all health and medical documents digitally. All data is secured using AWS and MongoDB encryption, and is accessible only by the pet parent and their vet.
Pawzeeble also offers Sheru.ai, an AI chatbot trained on more than 5 lakh pet data profiles and 17 crore data points. It helps answer questions about pet health, food, and behavioural issues. From diet tips to health symptoms, it helps pet parents act proactively.
Currently, the startup has more than 2 lakh pet profiles and 1.7 lakh pet parents, with 30% month-on-month growth in new profiles. “Around 30-40% of users are active each month,” he said. The startup is still only available as a website, but a mobile app is set to launch this year.
In May 2025, the pet care startup launched a smart pet QR tag. When scanned, it provides information about the pet and its owners, which is helpful if the pet gets lost. The company is now building a GPS tracker to integrate with the QR system. The product is expected to launch in 2026.
Pawzeeble currently runs from a single office in Pune with a 12-member team and support from partners across 39 cities. Its B2B clients include Vetassure Clinic (Kolkata), Prolife Veterinary Clinic (Mumbai), Dr. Deshmukh’s Pet Clinic (Surat), and Petcare Hospital (Delhi).
It has launched pet insurance via its Protect Plan to lower the cost of pet care. For Rs 375 per month (billed annually), pet parents get up to Rs 50,000 in insurance coverage through HDFC Ergo. This cover is valid for all breeds, including mixed-breed dogs and cats, and includes over 40 illnesses and injuries and 15 surgeries.
The plan also offers up to 50% discounts at partner clinics and gives users Pawzeeble Coins, which can be used to buy pet food and accessories.
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Funding and the future
The bootstrapped startup, launched with Rs 4 crore from personal savings, raised an additional Rs 1.5 crore from angel investors in 2023-24. Pawzeeble is also in talks to raise $1 million from micro-VCs and HNIs by December 2025.
Sathe says the revenue comes from two streams: the Rs 12,000+ annual tax subscription for clinics and sales from the Protect Plan. Around 1,000 users have subscribed to the insurance plan so far.
But he continues to find awareness a big challenge. Convincing vets to switch to digital platforms took time, and “educating pet parents about preventive care and insurance is ongoing”, he says.
But the founder has many more plans in the pipeline. Pawzeeble Mart, set to launch next month, aims to support local and neighbourhood pet brands. Sathe says sellers will be required to list their products at lower rates than on Amazon or Flipkart to keep prices affordable.
The startup also plans to launch services for groomers and pet hostels by November, and is adding a new ‘Clans’ feature that groups pets by breed within the community network. Over the next two years, Pawzeeble aims to introduce predictive health analytics based on pet history and breed.
Sathe isn’t fazed by the competition, including the likes of Heads Up for Tails, Pawspace, and Supertails. “Pawzeeble is not just about pet parents. It’s about serving the entire industry. Even our competitors are welcome to join our ecosystem,” he says.
Pawzeeble has a lofty goal: to capture 15-20% of the Indian market in the next five years. “India’s pet care industry has just crossed $1 billion, but the global market is valued at $350 billion. We have a long way to go, and we’re just getting started,” Sathe says.
Edited by Affirunisa Kankudti
