A new option for pet owners to secure transportation for their four-legged friends has gone live this week.
FurGo, founded by Rashad Grimes and Alex Harris, launched April 1. The tech startup allows pet owners to request rides for their pet's appointments in real time.
The service is similar to Uber but for pets and currently covers the city of Birmingham as well as nearby cities like Hoover, Mountain Brook, and Vestavia Hills.
The duo had been working on the concept since fall 2023 and said now is the right time to launch the business.
"From our research there appears to be a global uptick in the pet industry overall within the last three years," Grimes said. "Since Covid, a lot of people have become pet owners, and various factors such as urbanization, increase in disposable incomes and changes in pet consumers' preferences are all great signs that are timing is perfect. Moreover, society has shifted towards convenience and wanting things as fast as possible. We believe that sentiment carries over into how pet owners get their pets to their appointments."
The pet handlers are all contract drivers synonymous to Uber or DoorDash. Once a pet owner requests a ride, the driver can head to that location to transport the pet from wherever they are. So, the company is not pursuing a brick-and-mortar presence at this time.
"Birmingham is an extremely pet friendly city. If you’re ever out on a weekend at Railroad Park or a Farmer’s Market, you will see multiple people with their pets," Grimes said. "They’re veterinarian clinics and new pet facilities being built every other month here. Further, data indicates that seven out of 10 adults in Birmingham own a pet of some sort, and 80% of those adults own dogs. We believe the demand is here."
Grimes is a serial entrepreneur and attorney. He launched his first tech startup, Dippi, in 2021 but closed the business a year later. Harris started his entrepreneur career at age 20 with a third-party 2marketing campaign with AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile. He was a business owner by the age of 21 and traveled across the nation providing wireless and cable solutions to consumers.
Using their experience, they plan to grow the business base in Birmingham.
"Once we maintain a or exceed our target number of rides per day, and experience consistence customer growth, we will most likely seek venture capital to accelerate growth into surrounding cities and states," Grimes said. "We don’t see this company ever becoming a franchise. Our north star is to become a worldwide solution for pet owners who need immediate or scheduled rides for any appointments for their pets. FurGo is aiming to become the Uber for Pets. By the end of the year, we will plan to improve our technology and offer our services via a mobile application alongside our website. As we continue to grow, we will consider offering additional services such as dog walking and long-distance transporting if the need presents itself."
