The archive · Health & Care · Strategic decision · 2020–2026
Petfolk's connected-care bet: vet clinics plus an app, 2,016% growth
A vet and her Freshly-founder brother rebuilt vet care as app-plus-clinic 'connected care'; $40M A, $36M C, Inc. 5000 #160.
Petfolk
What the business is
A veterinary and urgent-care company that blends purpose-built clinics with 24/7 app-based virtual care - its 'connected care' model - across US metro markets.
Starting capital：$40M Series A (Aug 2022); $36M Series C (Nov 2024)
How it started
Petfolk was founded in 2020 by Dr. Audrey Wystrach, a veterinarian with 25+ years in practice, and Michael Wystrach, who founded Freshly and sold it to Nestlé for $1.5B in 2020. Their thesis: veterinary care was still delivered through fragmented, appointment-era habits, and a company combining proprietary technology, a data platform and modern clinics could reshape it.
What happened
Petfolk raised a $40M Series A in August 2022, led by White Star Capital and Michael Wystrach, while operating across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida and estimating 40,000+ pets served that year, with 24/7 virtual care launching. In November 2024 it closed a $36M Series C led by Deerfield Management - with Movendo Capital, White Star, Cutting Horse VC, Idea Farm Ventures and Parkview International - reaching 19 clinics across seven metros (Charlotte, Raleigh, Atlanta, Orlando, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio) and targeting about 40 clinics in 10+ markets by the end of 2025.
How it ended up
Still scaling: the 2026 Inc. 5000 ranked Petfolk #160 on 2,016% three-year revenue growth (2022–2025), recent 2026 openings include the Houston and Kansas City metro areas, and Exploding Topics (Aug 2026) ranks Petfolk #99 at 99x+ search growth.
Background
Petfolk is a veterinary and urgent-care network founded in 2020 by Dr. Audrey Wystrach, a veterinarian with 25+ years in practice, and Michael Wystrach, who founded Freshly and sold it to Nestlé for $1.5B in 2020. The company's 'connected care' model blends purpose-built clinics with 24/7 app-based virtual care under one brand, instead of buying legacy practices.
The capital came in two big steps: a $40M Series A in August 2022 led by White Star Capital and Michael Wystrach while the company operated in four states and estimated 40,000+ pets served that year, then a $36M Series C in November 2024 led by Deerfield Management that funded 19 clinics across seven metros - Charlotte, Raleigh, Atlanta, Orlando, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio - with a target of roughly 40 clinics in 10+ markets by the end of 2025.
The revenue result is now public: the 2026 Inc. 5000 ranked Petfolk #160 with 2,016% three-year growth (2022–2025), recent 2026 openings include the Houston and Kansas City metro areas, and Exploding Topics' Aug 2026 trending list shows Petfolk at #99 with 99x+ search growth.
What has to be true
- The founder pairing carries both halves of the bet: a practicing vet with 25+ years of clinical credibility and a brother who had just sold Freshly to Nestlé for $1.5B in 2020.
- The model choice was deliberate: build de novo clinics plus 24/7 app virtual care as one connected product rather than inheriting fragmented legacy practice habits.
- Scale evidence is concrete: $40M Series A (2022) then $36M Series C (2024), reaching 19 clinics in seven metros with a ~40-clinic target by end-2025.
- Revenue growth confirms the model: #160 on the 2026 Inc. 5000 with 2,016% three-year growth (2022–2025).
- Search is rising with the business: Petfolk ranks #99 on Exploding Topics' Aug 2026 trending list at 99x+ growth.
What can be applied
An incumbent profession's blind spots are a spec sheet: Petfolk turned vet care's opacity and scheduling pain into a transparent connected-care offer - and the market paid.
Aftermath
As of August 24, 2026, Petfolk is still scaling. The 2026 Inc. 5000 ranked it #160 with 2,016% three-year revenue growth, and The Underbite (August 11, 2026) reports recent clinic openings in the Houston and Kansas City metro areas. Exploding Topics' Top Trending Topics (Aug 2026) shows Petfolk at #99 with 99x+ search growth. The company had closed a $36M Series C led by Deerfield Management in November 2024 with 19 clinics across seven metros, after a $40M Series A in August 2022; none of the cited sources report an exit, shutdown or contraction.
Sources
- Pet care company raises a $40 million series A
- Petfolk Secures $36M Investment to Revolutionize Veterinary Care with "Connected Care" Model
- Eleven Pet Companies that Made the 2026 Inc. 5000
- Top Trending Topics (Aug 2026)
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