Company: Tuft Global
Founder and CEO: Chloe Smith
Website: https://tuftapp.com/
About Tuft Global
Tuft launched in June 2021 with a bold mission: to digitise an industry that had operated the same way for over 30 years. The pet grooming sector was trapped in analogue processes, relying on phone calls, paper diaries, and manual coordination that frustrated both pet owners and groomers alike. We saw an opportunity to transform this massive market and built the UK and Ireland’s first integrated pet service marketplace.
Challenges We Have Overcome
Building a two-sided marketplace presented unique hurdles. Our biggest challenge was achieving simultaneous adoption from both pet owners and groomers. We needed critical mass on both sides to create value, but neither group would join without seeing the other already active on the platform.
We solved this through strategic alliances, sponsorships, being active at pet grooming events, and partnering with influential pet groomers. This gave us credibility and opened doors that would have taken years to access independently.
Technical complexity was another major barrier. We were not just building a booking app but an entire business management system that needed to seamlessly integrate with groomer workflows. Many groomers had never used digital tools before, so we had to design intuitive interfaces while maintaining powerful backend functionality. We made customer support a priority, running a 6-day-a-week service via WhatsApp, phone, and email to ensure smooth onboarding and ongoing success.
Educating the market proved challenging as well. Pet owners expected grooming to remain a phone-based or walk-in service, while groomers were skeptical about changing systems that had worked for decades. We had to demonstrate tangible value quickly. Our deposit and payments feature became a game-changer, helping groomers reduce no-shows and lost revenue. As word spread through the grooming community about these real business benefits, adoption accelerated.
Funding in the early stages required persistence. As a female founder in tech, I faced additional hurdles in securing investment. However, by demonstrating strong traction metrics and a clear path to profitability, we successfully raised over £1.2million, validating our business model and enabling rapid growth.
Industry Impact
Tuft has fundamentally changed how the pet grooming industry operates. We have onboarded over 5,000 groomers nationwide and connected them with more than 83,000 pet owners, processing thousands of bookings that would have previously required countless phone calls and manual diary entries.
Our impact extends beyond convenience. Groomers report that Tuft has been a turning point for their businesses, with automated 24/7 booking capabilities freeing them to focus on their craft rather than administrative tasks. The deposit functionality has significantly reduced no-shows, directly improving their bottom line. We have professionalized an industry that lacked modern infrastructure, giving small business owners enterprise-grade tools at affordable prices.
We have also set a new standard for pricing transparency. While competitors charge fragmented fees with expensive add-ons for SMS credits and additional team members, Tuft offers an all-inclusive package with unlimited messaging and team members at a competitive rate. This approach has forced the industry to reconsider outdated pricing models.
We have demonstrated that traditional service industries can be transformed through thoughtful technology, and we are just getting started. Our vision extends to becoming the super-app for all pet services, creating an ecosystem that will redefine how millions of pet owners access care worldwide.
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