Mad Paws

Smart50 Innovator Award winner

Collecting the 2022 Smart50 Innovator Award is online pet-sitting platform Mad Paws, with co-founders Alexis Soulopoulos, Justus Hammer and Jan Pacas fostering an incredible community of pet owners and sitters in just a few short years.

Founded to fill an ever-growing need for local and affordable pet accommodation, Mad Paws’ point of difference is driven by the personalised pet care its community of sitters offer. As Soulopoulos puts it: “It’s a furry friend’s home away from home when their owner has a work commitment, holiday or event booked, or simply needs a helping hand.”

Since 2015, Mad Paws has built a loyal and growing community of trusted and insured local pet sitters. But things really took off when they joined forces with Qantas, a commercial partnership that saw Mad Paws’ search functionality integrated within the Qantas booking flow, allowing travellers to seamlessly find a pet sitter while they are away.

While the onset of COVID-19 didn’t do the Mad Paws team any favours, one smart initiative ensured the company not only survived the pandemic but thrived: launching a fresh dog food subscription business, Dinner Bowl, in record time.

Beyond the Mad Paws pet-sitting platform, the co-founders have developed a suite of innovative offerings that delight existing customers and continue to attract new business.

“Mad Paws now offers affordable pet health care (Pet Chemist), healthy home-delivered food subscriptions (Dinner Bowl), toy and treat subscriptions (Waggly) and premium dog beds and accessories (SASH),” Soulopoulos said.

The pandemic has accelerated the shift to online, validating future demand for pet care and subscription services. With only 14% of customer spend currently apportioned online, the co-founders expect this sector — and their innovative ideas — to grow significantly.

Smart50 judges said that it is impressive how Mad Paws has maximised its business and market opportunity in a rapidly growing industry.

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