Petcare supplements startup Pawd has raised £400k in a seed funding round as it prepares to scale nationwide.
The London-based business plans to use the money to accelerate growth, expand brand awareness and help progress its mission to become the number one brand for treating anxiety in dogs.
Pawd raised the funding from individual angel investors, including media personalities, senior partners from private equity firms and fmcg founders.
It builds on a £300k pre-seed round in 2023 ahead of the brand’s launch in March 2024. Pawd is now exploring raising a further £200k after hitting its initial £400k target for the seed round.
Co-founder Archie Wilson said: “From day one, everything we’ve built at Pawd has been centred on dog health.
“That means rigorous formulation, responsible manufacturing and robust systems, so as we scale, we do so without ever compromising the wellbeing of the dogs we are here to support.”
Wilson founded the business with childhood friend Rory Hanna after identifying a gap in the dog wellness market through the latter’s family dog, Scrumpy, who showed signs of anxiety.
Working with animal nutritionists and vets, the pair formulated a natural, liquid supplement designed to support dogs over the long term without sedation.
“Anxiety isn’t a quick fix, whether in humans or animals,” added Hanna. “Dog owners don’t want to change their dog’s personality; they want to reduce distress and help them cope better day to day.
“Pawd is focused on addressing a clear and growing issue in dog health, particularly as more owners look for preventative support alongside rising veterinary costs.”
Pawd currently has more than 900 active monthly subscribers and is aiming to grow that base to 10,000 over the next 12 months.
It also plans to launch in the US and is forecasting profitability by the third quarter of 2026.
Funding from the seed round will go towards hiring a part-time chief marketing officer as the business looks to scale its marketing efforts across social media platforms and work with influencers to build awareness.
Any additional cash raised will be invested in expanding testing across Google, creative and conversion optimisation and accelerating experimentation across new acquisition and retention channels.
Pawd is also actively seeking partners and collaborators, including trainers, dog rescue centres and other organisations.
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