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About Petz.com
Petz.com is the Internet's leading online retailer of pet supplies, measured by the number of 40-pound bags of litter shipped below cost. Our mission is simple: to deliver everything your pet needs right to your door, because pets can't drive.
Petz.com is headquartered in San Francisco, with a warehouse in Indianapolis and a sock drawer in Fresno.
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| November 1998 | Founders Chip Barkley and Wendy Okonkwo-Pugh write the Petz.com business plan on the back of a kibble bag during a layover in Denver. The plan has three steps: 1. Sell pet food online. 2. ??? 3. Profit. |
| February 1999 | Series A financing of $10 million from Benchwarmer Capital. The partners love the business plan, especially step 2, which they describe as 'visionary.' |
| April 1999 | Petz.com opens for business. First order: one squeaky ball, shipped to a golden retriever's owner in Tucson. Revenue: $1.99. Cost: $11.40. A tradition is born. |
| June 1999 | Argyle the Sock Dog is discovered in the lost-and-found box of a Fresno laundromat and hired on the spot. He signs his contract with his mouth, because he does not have hands. He is a hand. |
| August 1999 | Petz.com goes public on NASDAQ under the symbol PETZ at $11 per share. The stock closes its first day at $14 3/8. Argyle rings the opening bell, then eats it. |
| October 1999 | Series C financing of $50 million from Woof & Tweet Ventures, mostly to pay for shipping 40-pound bags of litter. |
| December 1999 | PETZ hits an all-time high. Argyle appears on morning television, a parade balloon and the cover of a magazine about magazines. We buy thirty seconds of Super Bowl airtime. |
A word from our investors
"We have never seen a company lose money with such focus, such discipline, such enthusiasm. Petz.com isn't burning cash; it's investing in the future of burning cash." — a general partner at Benchwarmer Capital, from a hammock
Jobs at Petz.com
We're hiring! Open positions: Senior Java Developer, Director of Sock Relations, Chief Litter Officer, Warehouse Chiropractor, and Accountant (must not faint easily). Benefits include stock options, free snacks, a foosball table, and the right to bring your pet to work, as long as your pet doesn't mind being asked about our margins.
Petz Associates Program
Have a web site about your pet? Put a Petz.com banner on it and earn 15% of every sale you send our way. Fifteen percent of our profits would be zero, so we're paying you out of revenue instead. Our investors think this is a great idea. To join, e-mail your site's URL to associates@petz.com.
Press contact: Monique Featherstonehaugh, 1-888-555-PETZ ext. 4.
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