Rejected by Uber with 2 Dogs? She Built the Uber for Pets 🐾

What we talked about.

Aparna is the founder of SpotOn, a ride-hailing marketplace built specifically for pets and their owners, originally launched as Buster's Buggy. Born in India and raised largely in Maryland, she studied government politics, animal science and English at the University of Maryland before chasing an entrepreneurial path that took her from DJing house music to running a marketing firm, Tsunami Inc, and later opening Ultimate Dog K9 Sports and Wellness Center. The idea for SpotOn crystallized after she was repeatedly rejected by Uber and Lyft drivers one night while trying to get home with her two dogs. She validated the concept by interviewing pet owners at LAX for weeks, then ran a scrappy 500 ride pilot in Los Angeles with her co-founder and CTO John, serving as driver number one herself. Now headquartered in Brooklyn, SpotOn pays drivers 80 percent of each fare and has landed Aparna on Inc's Female Founders 100 list. The conversation covers her upbringing, creative influences, fundraising struggles as a woman of color founder, and plans to expand into Austin, Atlanta and Seattle.

After Uber rejected her and her two dogs, she built a ride-hailing marketplace made just for pets.

The questions, and the answers.

Where did you grow up and what was your household like?

I was born in India and my parents immigrated when I was two. I grew up along the East Coast but really came of age in Maryland, doing middle school, high school and college there at the University of Maryland. It was a typical Indian household: study, study, study.

What did you study at Maryland and did you know what you wanted to do after graduating?

I studied government politics, animal science and English, though I've only really used one of those since. I originally wanted to be a lawyer, but I caught the entrepreneurial bug and started a music production company that spun into a record label, which took me to Europe for a while.

How did being a DJ shape you, and does that creative side still show up in how you run your company?

As a DJ you have to stay open to many genres, my specialty was progressive house, but growing meant embracing everything from reggaeton to hip hop to top 40. That openness broadened my perspective and taught me to think outside the box as a founder and to pivot when necessary.

What sparked the idea for SpotOn?

I had two dogs and tried to get into an Uber, and got rejected. That happened three times with Uber and three times with Lyft in one night, until a driver finally felt bad and let me in. Combined with running Ultimate Dog and seeing there was no real pet transportation option, that night became the real impetus for building SpotOn.

You went to LAX and started interviewing people like a journalist. What did you learn?

For about five weeks I walked the terminals asking anyone traveling with a pet how they got there. Almost everyone said the same thing, their pets are family and they wanted to travel together, but getting to the airport meant begging friends or paying a fortune. That common problem with no solution convinced me to launch Buster's Buggy, which became SpotOn.

What was it like being driver number one in your own pilot program?

My co-founder and CTO John actually drove for Uber for a few weeks to learn the driver side before agreeing to build this with me. Then I put up flyers at a dog park and started giving free rides myself, with friends helping too. The pilot ran about 500 rides, and toward the end riders started tipping for gas, which is when I knew we could monetize it.

SpotOn drivers get 80 percent of each fare. How do you make the economics work while paying drivers more?

Our rates are higher than a regular Uber or Lyft, more like Uber Black, and drivers currently keep 80 percent of the fare because we're still building our driver base. Once we hit a certain volume we'll lower that percentage, but rides will be more consistent and higher ticket, so drivers still make more driving less.

What has fundraising been like, and what do you wish investors understood better?

Fundraising is a constant up and down, you get traction and then it dries up. It's really a founder's first job, even though it takes time away from running the business. You have to knock on a thousand doors to find ten investors who are actually a fit, so you need thick skin and a good team to lift you back up.