Pawlicy Advisor
7 known investors
Find the best health insurance for pets.
Also known as Pawlicy Advisor Inc.
Investors · 7
Also in the syndicate · 3
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Pawlicy Advisor operates an independent pet insurance marketplace and licensed insurance brokerage that lets pet owners compare policies from multiple carriers. The platform asks pet owners a short set of questions and returns real-time quotes, filtering tools and an analysis that factors in breed-specific health risks and projected policy costs across a pet's typical lifespan. Early versions converted these data points into a "confidence score" to help owners compare options, with results delivered in under five minutes.
Alongside the direct-to-consumer product, the company works with veterinarians and veterinary practices, positioning itself as an objective educational resource that practices can use to outsource the pet insurance conversation to a licensed third party. It has expanded into partnerships with corporate veterinary groups and has integrated with practice management software. The company is recommended by the American Animal Hospital Association and is described as a licensed insurance producer in all 50 U.S. states.
Founding story
Cofounder and CEO Woody Mawhinney (also listed as Christopher Mawhinney) traces the idea to 2015, when his Shar-Pei puppy Wrigley developed a genetic disease requiring expensive medication that his pet insurance policy covered. Conversations with other pet owners revealed widespread difficulty evaluating coverage options, a theme he pursued through business school with hundreds of pet owners and veterinarians. He launched Pawlicy Advisor in April 2018. Around the same time, Travis Bloom, frustrated by the experience of buying insurance after adopting his cat Ginny, contacted Mawhinney after reading about the idea and joined as CTO roughly three months later.
Business model
Pawlicy Advisor is a nationally licensed insurance agency and is free for pet owners and veterinarians to use. It earns commissions from insurance carriers when consumers purchase policies through the platform. The company standardizes the fees it receives across insurance partners, and states that fees are paid only if pet owners retain policies over time, so recommendations are not influenced by differing carrier payouts.
Commission-based: standardized fees paid by partner insurance carriers on policies purchased through the marketplace, contingent on policy retention. No fees to consumers or veterinary practices.
Traction
Reported serving over three million pet parents; a January 2025 announcement marked more than one million pet owners helped. Roughly 30 employees and approximately $20M raised in total.
Latest developments
A $12M Series B led by StepStone Group with participation from Defy Partners, Rho Ignition, Slow Ventures and ERA's Remarkable Ventures Fund, intended to fund technology development, expanded service offerings and broader market presence. Recent activity also includes the ezyVet integration (2024), a head of marketing appointment (January 2025) and a 2025 report on pet insurance in veterinary practices.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Describes itself as the leading independent pet insurance marketplace in the U.S. and is recommended by the American Animal Hospital Association. Company statements cite over three million pet parents served.
Unlike comparison sites that treat carrier comparisons superficially, Pawlicy Advisor personalizes recommendations by breed-specific health risk and projected lifetime policy cost, and offers licensed support agents unaffiliated with any single carrier. Standardized carrier compensation is presented as removing incentives to favor higher-paying insurers; the company says clients can save up to 83% in insurance costs.
Technology
A data-driven comparison engine that scores insurance options against breed-specific health risks for more than 500 U.S. pet breeds and models how policy pricing changes over a pet's expected lifespan. Earlier product versions surfaced a "confidence score" for comparing plans, and purchasers receive alerts identifying opportunities to use their policies. The company is categorized under software, artificial intelligence, and data and analytics.
Go-to-market
A mix of direct-to-consumer acquisition and a veterinary channel strategy. The company distributes through thousands of veterinary practices and corporate veterinary groups, providing educational content and licensed support agents, and integrates with veterinary practice management software such as ezyVet.
Pet owners shopping for pet health insurance, and veterinarians, veterinary practices and corporate veterinary groups that direct clients to the platform for insurance education.
Geography
United States; headquartered in New York, NY, and licensed as an insurance producer in all 50 states, with distribution through veterinary practices nationwide.
History
Founded in 2018 and headquartered in New York, NY, the company went through the ERA accelerator and closed a $1M seed round in early 2020. It initially focused on direct-to-consumer marketing before shifting most outreach toward veterinarians. In 2024 it announced key hires and an integration with ezyVet practice management software; in January 2025 it announced it had helped more than one million pet owners and appointed a head of marketing, and in September 2025 it released a report on pet insurance's impact in veterinary practices. It raised a $12M Series B led by StepStone Group, bringing total funds raised to approximately $20M.
Risks & controversies
Adoption remains low in the addressable market, with sources noting that while 68% of U.S. households have a pet, only about 2% carry pet coverage; growth depends on expanding category awareness and on veterinary channel partnerships. Revenue is dependent on commissions from a limited set of insurance carrier partners and on policy retention.
Compiled by commissioned research from 4 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 6
launches, deals, and filingsPawlicy Advisor raised a $12M Series B led by StepStone Group with participation from Defy Partners, Rho Ignition, Slow Ventures and ERA's Remarkable Ventures Fund, bringing total funds raised to approximately $20M. Proceeds are earmarked for platform technology, expanded service offerings and broader market presence.
$12M source ↗
Launched an integration with ezyVet practice management software aimed at growing the insured client base of veterinary teams.
The company closed a $1M seed round early in 2020, following participation in the ERA accelerator.
$1M source ↗
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 4
primary sources listed
- Pawlicy Advisor Secures $12.trysignalbase.com · web
4 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Pawlicy Advisor do?
- Independent pet insurance marketplace and licensed brokerage offering breed-specific, lifetime-cost policy comparisons.
- Who are Pawlicy Advisor's investors?
- Pawlicy Advisor's investors include Defy Partners, Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA), Remarkable Ventures, Rho Ventures.