PetCloud is an Australian owned pet sitting platform, run by its founder – not a private equity fund. Many pet owners and Pet Sitters don’t realise who owns the platforms they use. Here’s who owns the biggest names, and why it matters.
Over the past decade, private equity firms and large corporate groups have been buying up vet clinics around the world. The UK is the clearest example, because its competition regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), spent more than two years investigating it. The CMA found:
- About 60% of UK vet practices now belong to large corporate groups, up from about 10% a decade earlier.
- Average vet prices rose 63% between 2016 and 2023, well above inflation.
- Large groups charged on average around 17% more than independent practices for the same kinds of care.
- When a large group bought an independent clinic, prices rose by around 9% within four years.
- Many group-owned clinics kept their local names, so pet owners often didn’t know who owned them.
The private equity model is simple: buy businesses, cut costs, raise prices, then sell within a few years. This is not a criticism of vets and vet nurses – many work incredibly hard under the pressure this model creates. It’s a criticism of an ownership model built around an exit date rather than the animals and people it serves.
Who owns Australia’s pet sitting platforms?
Who owns Mad Paws?
Mad Paws is owned by Rover. Rover completed its A$62 million takeover of Mad Paws in November 2025, and Mad Paws was taken off the ASX. Rover itself is owned by private equity firm Blackstone, which completed its US$2.3 billion purchase of Rover in February 2024. Mad Paws was co-founded by Belgians Alexis Soulopoulos and Justus Hammer.
Blackstone’s reach in Australia goes well beyond pet care – it owns Crown Resorts and in December 2025 agreed to buy Hamilton Island.
Who owns TrustedHousesitters?
TrustedHousesitters is majority owned by UK private equity firm Mayfair Equity Partners, which backed a management buyout of the business in December 2023 at a valuation of over US$100 million.
Who owns Pawshake?
Pawshake was founded by Belgians Tanguy Peers and Dries Coucke, and venture capital investment came from Sydney-based fund AirTree Ventures in its early days.
Who owns PetCloud?
PetCloud is founded and run by Deb Webber, an independent Australian working parent whose only job is running PetCloud. It is not owned or controlled by a venture capital fund or private equity firm.
What it can mean for Pet Owners
Higher and less transparent vet bills, less money left over for routine care, and harder decisions when an emergency happens. It’s one reason PetCloud focuses on preventing harm and surprise vet bills through good routine care.
What it can mean for Pet Sitters
- When vet care costs more, pet owners look harder at every other cost – including what they pay Pet Sitters.
- Investor-backed platforms have to grow fast to repay their investors. That pressure usually shows up as pushing prices down, chasing volume over quality, or selling the business. Pet Sitters become a commodity.
- In an emergency, the pet owner is responsible for the vet bill – but Pet Sitters are the ones standing at the counter with the owner’s pet, facing a large estimate while the owner may be on a plane.
Why I’ve kept PetCloud independent
I started PetCloud over 10 years ago to help Pet Owners have a network of high trust quality Pet Sitters and I run it full time – it’s my only job. I’ve chosen to keep PetCloud founder-led, rather than owned or controlled by a venture capital fund or private equity firm, because:
- Decisions are made by someone who answers to pet owners and sitters, not to a fund’s exit timeline.
- You set your own rates. PetCloud doesn’t set your prices or push them down.
- We can invest in things that don’t pay back quickly but make pet care safer – identity verification, police checks, vet-endorsed training and the Property Safety Checklist.
PetCloud pays to advertise to pet owners so they find you and book you. Every booking that stays on PetCloud – including repeat bookings from your regular clients – is what keeps PetCloud independent and able to keep sending you work.
Source: UK Competition and Markets Authority, Veterinary Services Market Investigation (provisional findings October 2025, final decision March 2026).
