Salt Lake City — Peterson Private Equity has invested in Pupford, a Utah-based direct-to-consumer (DTC) pet brand providing dog owners the resources they need to train and raise healthy dogs, beginning at the puppy stage.
Pupford has produced a large library of dog training content that has engaged over 2 million pet parents to date. Pupford also sells nutritious training treats and other dog products via its website, mobile app, and other retailers. Entrepreneurs Mike Steele (CEO) and Jake Young (COO) will continue to lead Pupford’s growth and operations.
Peterson’s investment will help accelerate growth through brand development, product line expansion, channel development, and strategic hires.
“Peterson has been a fantastic partner for us so far – from the start, you can tell they care about us as entrepreneurs as well as supporting our vision of helping pet parents build a better relationship with their pup,” says Mike Steele, CEO of Pupford. “Brett, Jordan, and the whole team at Peterson are helping us continue to create one of the most meaningful brands in the pet space.”
In addition to Peterson, co-investors in Pupford include several individuals with deep experience in consumer and pet products. These include Bob Rubin (Former CEO, Solid Gold Pet), Zak Zarbock (Founder, Zarbee’s Naturals), Beau Oyler (Founder, Enlisted Design), and Skyler Meine (Founder, IdealShape).
“We are thrilled to back such talented entrepreneurs in the growing pet market, behind strong consumer and direct-to-consumer trends,” says Brett Stohlton, partner at Peterson. “We have a conviction on Pupford’s unique customer acquisition and engagement strategy and are excited
to partner with the Pupford team in executing their product vision in this next chapter of growth,” added Jordan Lusk, VP at Peterson.
About Peterson Partners
At Peterson Partners, our mission is to help great people build great businesses. We roll up our sleeves in supporting exceptional entrepreneurs and management teams in building enduring enterprises and have invested in more than 250 companies across a wide range of industries,
including Allbirds, Vivint, Packsize, Lucid Software, and Azul. Typically, Peterson Partners provides the first equity capital in a business, and we participate for a chapter of growth during which we work hard as a trusted coach and advisor in driving growth and building brands, systems, and human capital. Peterson Partners is an independent investment firm with more than $1.4 billion under management across Private Equity, Venture Capital and Search strategies. To learn more about Peterson partners, please visit https://petersonpartners.com.