The company is part of the Y Combinator Winter 2016 class. Petcube will leverage the funding to accelerate worldwide distribution, advance its product development, scale globally, and ramp up talent acquisition including the strategic appointment of two key leadership executives as its Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Sales.
"We have an exceptional road ahead of us in the Connected Pet category. With the infusion of funding, induction into the prestigious Y-Combinator program, and the addition of exceptional executive talent coming from the tech and consumer products world, I am excited about what we can accomplish together as a company," said Yaroslav Azhnyuk, CEO of Petcube, Inc. "We are focused on expanding our distribution footprint and accelerating our new product development. In doing so, we strive to make lives better for pet parents and their pets."
Chris Madeiras has joined Petcube as Senior Vice President of Sales, and is responsible for overseeing and leading global sales. Madeiras previously worked for Whistle Labs as Vice President of Sales and Marketing, and held several leadership positions at leading global consumer products companies including L'Oréal, PepsiCo, and Nestlé.
Vivian Lee has joined Petcube as Chief Marketing Officer, and is responsible for overseeing global brand strategy, product marketing and communications. Lee was most recently with Cyanogen, a leading alternative, Android-based mobile operating system where she led marketing and communications. Prior to Cyanogen, she held marketing leadership roles at games developer and publisher giant, Electronic Arts.
Madeiras and Lee bring more than 40 years of combined experience leading high performance teams, and both report directly to Petcube CEO, Yaroslav Azhnyuk.
Pet ownership is on the rise in developed and emerging markets. The global growth of pet ownership and the overall pet care industry has been influenced by the humanization of pets that are regarded as companions and family members. Petcube's mission is to improve the lives of people and their pets everywhere. Its first product, the Petcube Camera is an interactive Wi-Fi pet camera that lets owners interact and play with their pets remotely from their smartphone, using the Petcube app. Demand for Petcube was so high over the holiday season, the product sold out by Christmas at all retailers including Best Buy, Brookstone and Nordstrom.
The Petcube app has rich features that enable users to play with their pets using an interactive laser toy, share pictures and videos socially, and play real-time with family and friends' pets. Accessible through the app, the Company's Petcube for Shelters program allows users to play with adoptable pets in an effort to increase adoption rates. The Petcube app is also a stand-alone media-sharing app for non-camera owners.
About Petcube
Petcube keeps people connected with their pets. Its first product, Petcube Camera, is an interactive pet monitor with real time video and built-in laser pointer. It allows pet owners to watch, talk to, and play with their pet from their smartphone, no matter where they are. Petcube was funded on Kickstarter and became one of the most successful crowdfunding pet products in history. Petcube is sold on Petcube.com, Amazon, Brookstone, Best Buy, Nordstrom.com, B&H Photo Video, and Frys.
Headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Kyiv, Ukraine and Shenzhen, China, Petcube is a privately held company backed by Almaz Capital, AVentures Capital and Y Combinator. For more information visit the website, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
