So, imagine this. You just adopted a dog—a little ball of fur with a knack for wrecking slippers and somehow getting into every nook of your home you didn't know existed. You're in love, but there's a creeping problem here: you’re suddenly aware that you’re supposed to keep track of their health, their vaccinations, their...what did the shelter say about training classes? Ugh, the list goes on.

Sara Swenson, Santa Cruz resident, co-founder and “Chief Pet Officer” at Petszel, who also fosters for Santa Cruz Animal Shelter, gets this feeling all too well. She's been in the trenches of the pet adoption process, and she knows that behind all the warm and fuzzy moments of bringing a new pet home, there’s a side of it that’s just downright overwhelming. So, Sara, her co-founder Matt Russell and others on the founding team decided to change that. They dreamed up Petszel, a platform where all things pet-related would live in one place, streamlining every part of the adoption experience from those chaotic first days onward.

How did this idea come about?

Sara left her corporate gig at CrossFit and Covetrus, connected with Matt, a pet care data guru from IDEXX, and together, they and the rest of the founding team got cracking on this idea that could simplify the lives of new pet parents everywhere. By January 2024, the dream became a reality. And it wasn't a slow start—within months, Petszel had signed up over 150 shelters. Sara and Matt’s goal? To reach roughly 80% of adoptions in the US and Canada, Petszel is a household name among pet owners.

But here’s the twist: this isn’t just a feel-good mission. Petszel’s platform actually works. It’s not just a “throw your pet’s info into the app and forget about it” type of thing. Petszel has already helped reduce pet returns at shelters by 20-30%. Why? Because they’ve made it easy for adopters to actually understand their pet’s needs, stay on top of care routines, and get guidance when they’re struggling.

The Big Vision: Vet Data and the Super Pet Record

The Petszel team didn’t stop at just making it easy for pet adopters to keep track of their new furry friends. Their vision goes much further: imagine every single vet record, every vaccination, every little quirk about your pet’s health is stored in a central record. All the info your vet might need is just a click away. The goal is to make this a reality by integrating Petszel with vet software, creating a seamless “super pet record” that can carry your pet from home to vet and beyond. And when it comes to keeping pets healthy? Petszel’s data shows a huge problem: 60% of dogs that are returned to shelters are returned because of behavioral issues. If Petszel can provide a little extra support and guidance early on, they can change that story.

Petszel is Becoming the Big Dog on Campus

So, is Petszel just about adopting pets and collecting data? Not quite. This scrappy little startup has big plans, including a six-figure partnership with a major pet brand, and they’re looking at ways to integrate several other offerings. Basically, they’re turning into the Amazon of pet support, except, you know, for pets (and minus the two-day delivery). Petszel is already almost profitable, and they’re even thinking about securing outside funding to supercharge their growth.

In the meantime, they’re working on a bunch of awesome stuff, like publishing case studies with data on pet adoption trends to share what they’ve learned with the whole industry. They’re showing that, yeah, this startup thing can be about doing good and making a profit.

Petszel is Just Getting Started

Sara is clear-eyed about the challenges, but also incredibly pumped. Petszel has already supported 43,000 adoptions, and they’re projecting 400,000 next year. With this rapid growth, they’re not just helping people adopt pets—they’re changing the entire adoption journey. Imagine a future where adopting a pet is as streamlined as getting a pizza delivered. Okay, maybe *not* quite that simple, but Sara and the Petszel team are working on it. They’re here to ensure that when a pet finds its forever home, it actually sticks.

Petszel is on a mission to be that little whisper in your ear—helping you get it right from day one, so you and your pet can live happily ever after. Because that’s what Sara’s all about: making sure every adoption is a win, for both people and pets alike.