CHARLOTTE — Petfolk co-CEO and founder Dr. Audrey Wystrach was raised on a ranch in Southern Arizona by nontraditional parents who encouraged their children to pursue their dreams, spawning a family of high-achievers and entrepreneurs.
Her determination to be a veterinarian never wavered from the age of 7, she said.
Her 28 years in the profession eventually led her to look at how companion-animal veterinary medicine is practiced, tweak the model and launch Petfolk, a template for a modern vet practice, in 2020.
Charlotte-based Petfolk this week announced the closing of a $40 million Series A fundraise, bringing the company’s total funding to $43 million. The round was led by White Star Capital and by Michael Wystrach, Dr. Wystrach’s brother and Petfolk co-founder, who also co-created the prepared meal delivery subscription service Freshly in 2012 and sold it to Nestle in 2020 for $1.5 billion.
The round also had participation from Triple Point Capital and celebrity backers Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley, Midland’s Mark Wystrach and Cameron Duddy, Jimmie Johnson, Erik Jones and Danica Patrick.
If you noticed a few country music names in that mix, there’s a connection: Mark Wystrach, lead singer of the country band Midland, is another brother.
>>Watch Channel 9′s LIVE STREAM wherever you are, at this link
The funds will be used to grow the company by more than five times next year, opening 20 facilities in five states in the Southeast.
VIDEO: Jogger saves pets, home by alerting family of fire via doorbell camera
©2022 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
