AskVet

AskVet, founded in 2013 as Vet24seven, Inc. by Cal Lai, Dr. Edward Blach, and Dr. Treve Williams, operates a pet wellness management platform. Lai, a serial entrepreneur with a background in technology and marketing, was inspired by his own health journey and a desire to improve the inconvenient and reactive nature of traditional veterinary care. The company was a pioneer in offering virtual vet care in the U.S. and has since evolved its business model significantly.

Initially, the company charged for individual consultations but transitioned to a subscription-based service. A major pivot occurred in June 2022, driven by financing challenges, which saw the company shift from a human-driven veterinary service to an AI-powered SaaS platform. This strategic change leverages a decade's worth of data from over two million pet owner-veterinarian chats to power its proprietary AI, VERA™, the "world's first digital veterinarian". VERA can autonomously handle 70-85% of user questions, which has dramatically improved the company's economics.

AskVet's core offering is a mobile application that provides pet owners with 24/7 access to a network of veterinarians and pet coaches for guidance on wellness, nutrition, behavior, and medical questions. The subscription service, priced around $29.99 per month, aims to make pet care more proactive and accessible, with the insight that a significant portion of in-office vet care can be managed at home with proper guidance. The platform serves individual pet parents through its direct-to-consumer app and also provides white-label solutions for enterprise clients in the animal health industry, including insurance, food, and pharmaceutical companies. Revenue is generated through these monthly subscriptions and enterprise partnerships.

The service includes personalized care plans, at-home lab tests, and a unique "Rainy Day Fund" that accrues for members to cover emergency vet visit costs. By integrating AI with its extensive database, AskVet provides a scalable solution to the growing demand for veterinary care, aiming to support both companion and farm animals. The company has raised a total of $1.24M in funding over several rounds, including investments from LaunchCapital and Flow Capital.

Keywords: virtual pet care, veterinary telemedicine, AI veterinarian, pet wellness platform, animal health technology, pet parent support, online vet consultation, pet health subscription, VERA AI, Cal Lai, pet behavior advice, pet nutrition, 24/7 vet access, mobile pet health, at-home pet diagnostics, emergency pet fund, SaaS, animal health data, Vet24seven, guided pet wellness