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- These 2 Founders Just Raised $13.4M
These 2 Founders Just Raised $13.4M
How Goose plans to redefine the way pet care businesses operate.
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Issue #167
March 17th, 2025
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In today’s newsletter, we chat with Drew Brinkoetter and Chris Tilson, the founders of Goose.
You both have extensive knowledge/experience in pet hospitality. Drew, your background with Yardstick has given you firsthand experience launching and scaling businesses. Chris: You grew up in the pet care industry, with your family founding The Kennel at Arbor Lane in 1962. Later, you launched Petbookings.com to simplify boarding and daycare reservations. How have your combined experiences and unique perspectives shaped the vision for Goose Pet?
Chris grew up in the industry. His family founded The Kennel at Arbor Lane in 1962, giving him a front-row seat to the evolution of pet care. Later, he launched Petbookings.com to simplify and optimize boarding reservations, gaining deep insight into the shortcomings of existing pet care software. Drew’s experience launching Yardstick, a boutique dog hotel in Nashville and Dallas, gave him firsthand exposure to the challenges of running a modern, multi-location pet care business.
Despite different backgrounds, we arrived at the same realization: pet care software was outdated, frustrating, and out of sync with how modern pet owners want to book and communicate. We knew there had to be a better way—not just for pet owners, but for the businesses serving them.
Pet care is uniquely complex. Every pet, facility, and service is different. Generic scheduling and point-of-sale systems fall short. Even industry-specific software often fails to eliminate friction, especially at the front desk, where tedious back and forth is still required just to finalize a booking. This slows down operations, frustrates staff, and creates a poor customer experience.
Goose was built to change that. More than just a booking system, it is a complete operating platform designed for the realities of pet care. From managing reservations and tracking vaccinations to optimizing revenue and streamlining daily workflows, Goose brings everything under one roof. It eliminates friction at every stage, reduces manual work, improves accuracy, and frees up staff to focus on what matters most—providing exceptional care.
The result? A system that adapts to how pet care businesses actually operate, unlocking efficiency, enhancing customer experience, and driving better business outcomes.
I love the name Goose. Who came up with it, and what’s the story behind it?
We wanted a name with personality, something memorable that stood out. Pet care businesses are built on relationships, trust, and great service, yet the software they rely on has historically been anything but approachable. We knew we were building something different and wanted a name that reflected that.
So why Goose? One day, we were tossing around a few animal-inspired names when Chris came up with it. It was fun to say, easy to remember, and just felt right.
Pet care is personal. People trust you with their pets, and software should make that easier, not harder. We built Goose to be powerful, intuitive, and genuinely enjoyable to use. The name reflects that. It is approachable, a little unexpected, and impossible to ignore.
Securing $13.4 million in seed funding is no small feat. What key strategies did you use to attract investors, and what aspects of Goose’s mission resonated most with them?
Raising $13.4 million was not just about securing capital. It was about finding investors who understood the opportunity in pet care and the need for modern technology. Pet care is a massive, fast-growing industry that has been underserved by technology for too long. Most existing software was built decades ago, leaving businesses reliant on outdated manual processes.
One of Goose’s biggest differentiators is our on demand confirmation based booking, replacing the outdated web form request model. Most systems require a back and forth exchange just to finalize a booking, slowing operations and creating friction. With Goose, customers book in real time just like they would for a hotel or airline, eliminating bottlenecks and providing the modern experience pet parents expect.
Investors also saw the revenue potential in Goose’s approach to cross selling and upselling. Pet care is not just about booking a stay. It is about delivering the best experience for pets while maximizing revenue for businesses. Goose makes it easy to bundle additional services, such as add-on perks or grooming, directly in the booking flow, increasing average booking values and improving customer satisfaction.
Another key factor is hospitality grade revenue management. Unlike traditional pet care software with static pricing, Goose enables businesses to optimize revenue through dynamic pricing, minimum booking values, and automated discounts, just like hotels and airlines. By helping businesses charge the right price at the right time, Goose provides a competitive edge.
Beyond the technology, investors were drawn to our deep industry experience. We are not outsiders trying to disrupt an industry we do not understand. We have built and run pet care businesses ourselves. That credibility, combined with a product that solves real pain points, made Goose an exciting investment opportunity.
Can you describe your ideal client?
Every pet care business starts with a love for animals. That is a given.
Every pet care business starts with a love for animals, but our ideal customer is serious about building a successful, scalable business. They want to provide top-tier care while running efficient, profitable operations.
The businesses that thrive with Goose take a growth-focused approach. They see technology as a tool to reduce friction, drive revenue, and create a seamless experience for both pet owners and staff. They are not just looking for a scheduling tool - they need a platform that enhances efficiency, maximizes profitability, and prepares them for the future.
These businesses often face operational complexity. Whether managing multiple service types, handling high booking volumes, or optimizing occupancy and pricing, they need software that keeps up. They are not just filling boarding suites or grooming slots; they are focused on long-term profitability, staffing efficiency, and customer retention.
The businesses that succeed with Goose see pet care as a professional industry and want technology that supports that ambition.
How does Goose adapt to the diverse needs of pet care providers, from independent businesses to multi-location operations?
Pet care businesses range from small independent facilities to high volume operations serving hundreds of pets daily across multiple locations. Regardless of size, they all need the same things - exceptional customer experience and efficient operations.
Size should not limit access to the right tools. Independent businesses deserve the same capabilities as large operators, including revenue management, dynamic pricing, memberships, and advanced reporting. Goose makes these tools accessible, helping businesses optimize pricing, increase customer retention, and make data-driven decisions.
For multi-location businesses, Goose extends these capabilities even further. A shared CRM tracks customer activity across locations, ensuring a seamless experience for pet parents. Memberships, packages, and customer preferences carry across locations, allowing businesses to provide consistent service without losing sight of customer history.
Ultimately, Goose is built for pet care providers who want to operate smarter, enhance customer experience, and maximize profitability—whether they have one location or two hundred.
What trends or innovations in pet care surprise you the most compared to 10 or 20 years ago?
The pet care industry is undergoing a major shift as pet owners now expect a modern booking experience. While they have demanded it for years, real behavior change is finally happening as more facilities adopt real-time booking. Businesses that allow customers to book and manage reservations online without back and forth phone calls or emails are gaining a competitive edge. It is simply easier for pet owners to book on their mobile devices than to find time to call during business hours. Facilities embracing this shift are attracting more customers while making life easier for their staff.
Another major change is the rise of multi-service businesses. The days of standalone boarding, grooming, or training facilities are fading as more operators expand their offerings. A boarding facility might add board and train programs or structured daycare with enrichment. A grooming business might introduce daycare programs so pet owners do not have to rush back during working hours to pick up their dog.
Pet owners want convenience, and businesses that provide a one-stop shop experience are thriving. However, this shift also brings new operational challenges, especially for those relying on software that treats each service as a separate system. That is one of the reasons we built Goose to work seamlessly across services, allowing businesses to scale without their software slowing them down.
Ownership in pet care is also evolving. Large investments are driving consolidation in boarding and daycare, with national brands emerging that standardize operations and emphasize customer convenience. For independent facilities, the days of being the only game in town are ending. To compete, they must differentiate—whether through a boutique experience, highly personalized care, or specialized services. Simply offering pet care is no longer enough; businesses must compete on the experience they provide.
If you could share one piece of advice with entrepreneurs looking to innovate in the pet care space, what would it be?
Solve real problems. Too many startups chase flashy ideas instead of understanding the daily challenges pet care businesses face.
The pet industry is relationship driven, meaning technology cannot just look good on paper - it has to make life easier for both pet care providers and pet parents. That requires stepping out from behind the desk. Talk to operators. Work in a facility. See where the real pain points are. The best innovations do not come from guessing what businesses need—they come from experiencing those needs firsthand.
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