Moe Puppy, a Gurugram-based D2C pet care brand focused on redefining pet wellness through thoughtfully designed products, has raised ₹2 crore in a pre-seed funding round led by PedalStart. The round also saw participation from a few angel investors and Zindagi Live Angel Fund. This marks Moe Puppy’s first institutional fundraise since its inception in 2023. Prior to this round, the startup had been fully bootstrapped by its founders. The brand focuses on building scalable, consumer-first products in the pet grooming and wellness category, addressing the growing demand for safe, effective, and easy-to-use pet care solutions among Indian pet parents.
The pre-seed capital will be utilized to strengthen Moe Puppy’s foundations, as the start-up works towards building a scalable, premium and trusted pet care brand over the upcoming 12-18 months. The funds will be allocated strategically by Moe Puppy towards R&D, branding, supply chain optimization, and selective talent acquisition (primarily across growth, operations, and customer experience).
Moe Puppy was founded by Manish Paul – a long-time pet parent and certified pet trainer who once struggled to find safe, effective and high-quality grooming products for his beloved pet dog born with severe allergies. His struggles eventually led him to conceive Moe Puppy as a made-in-India alternative – a ground-breaking pet care brand that curates international-grade, clean-label products made with safe, nature-based ingredients, and backed by extensive R&D and lab testing.
Within two years of starting operations, Moe Puppy has gained strong early traction, and established its product-market fit, with best-selling products like Dry Shampoo and Anti-Tick Spray. As a trusted name among Indian pet parents looking for premium care without compromises and overdependence on costly imported products, Moe Puppy has, to date, served 1 lakh+ customers across various channels, with a 30% repeat customer rate. Besides, Moe Puppy has also achieved a 10x growth in the last one year, and emerged among the best-rated pet grooming brands on Amazon.
Speaking on the fundraise, Manish Paul, Co-Founder & CEO, Moe Puppy commented, “We are happy to announce Moe Puppy’s first funding round led by PedalStart – marking an important milestone in our journey. As one of our earliest backers, PedalStart has been enabling us with mentorship, strategy, connections, brand-building assistance and beyond; and we are wholeheartedly thankful for their valuable support, guidance and investment. In the short term, this pre-seed fundraise allows us to strengthen what matters the most – product quality, trust and brand recall. While in the long term, it brings us closer to our vision of making Moe Puppy the go-to premium pet care brand for India, and expand into multiple pet care categories and international markets. Most pet parents today are very conscious about what they use on and how they care for their pets. With our approach of combining scientific rigour with the power of nature, we want Moe Puppy to be the sole brand they can rely on without a second thought in terms of making their pets healthier and happier.”
Moe Puppy operates as a D2C-first brand with a strong omnichannel presence; its 14+ science-backed products are available through Moe Puppy’s own website, besides Amazon, quick commerce platforms such as Blinkit, Zepto, etc. and pet-focused marketplaces like Supertails. The online-first scaling strategy enables Moe Puppy to reach several tier-1 and tier-2 cities of India, without relying on capital-intensive offline expansion.
Manas Pal and Aditya Darolia, Co-Founders, PedalStart said, “Moe Puppy stands out in India’s rapidly growing pet care market with its robust range of science-backed natural pet care products, strong unit economics, R&D prowess and organic growth. Their team is demonstrating what it means to build with intent – listening to pet parents, prioritizing safety and well-being, and scaling sustainably. As pet owners across India and the globe become more emotionally invested, well-informed and willing to spend on premium wellness-focused offerings, we at PedalStart believe Moe Puppy has the potential to become a category-defining brand. We are excited to back them and shall continue supporting them in building a revolutionary, world-class pet care venture from India.”
Beyond business growth and commercial success, Moe Puppy is committed to giving back to the pet ecosystem, in alignment with its core values. To this end, the brand actively promotes and spreads awareness on responsible pet parenting, collaborates with vets, shelters and pet communities, and supports adoption, care, and welfare initiatives for pets.
Bolstered by the fundraise, Moe Puppy would, in the near future, continue to scale its online growth, expand product categories and consolidate brand leadership. In the next few years, they are aiming to evolve from a pet grooming-led brand into a full-stack pet care platform spanning grooming, wellness, hygiene, and preventive care, while fostering a global community of conscious pet parents and thriving pets.
About Moe Puppy
Moe Puppy is India’s pioneering pet care brand dedicated to providing premium yet affordable science-based products for pet parents. At Moe Puppy, we believe that every pet deserves the best. Which is why, all our products are designed with the highest standards to keep your furry friends happy and healthy. Our commitment to R&D has led us to introduce groundbreaking formulas that combine the power of nature with cutting-edge technology. As one of the fastest-growing brands in the pet care industry, we are revolutionizing pet care, offering innovative, transformative pet care solutions.
About PedalStart
PedalStart is India’s fastest-growing operator-led startup accelerator, designed to empower early-stage founders with hands-on execution support and strategic growth. Through a rigorous three-month evaluation process, PedalStart selects only 15-18 high-potential startups each year. As an accelerator, we go beyond mentorship by actively investing in these startups, leveraging our deep industry expertise to help them scale, expand market presence, and build a strong foundation for long-term success. Backed by a high-impact ecosystem of operators, mentors and investors, we are committed to transforming early-stage ventures into high-growth companies.
