It’s a popular saying that venture capital backs two types of founders – the first-time entrepreneur, and the “fluent” ones. Varun, Aman, and Vineet belong to the latter, rarer group, having already helped scale one marketplace into a household name. In 2022, the ex-Licious trio spotted a void that few founders had noticed.
India's 34 million pet owners were either shopping on horizontal e-commerce platforms with limited assortment, or relying on specialty stores if they lived in metros, or doing without major veterinary access beyond urban centres. Our first investment in Supertails was straightforward: we were backing founders with execution DNA, building for a fast growing market, with an ambitious verticalized blueprint.
Three and a half years later, that conviction has compounded into one of our highest-conviction follow-ons. This is the story of three rounds of funding for the pet industry's fastest-growing platform.
Spotting the opportunity
In October 2022, India's pet care market was valued at a conservative ~INR 4,400 Cr, but all indicators screamed inflection. Pet adoption had surged post-COVID, with 6 lakh pets entering Indian homes annually. Pets were furbabies and family members, Instagram celebrities, and recipients of premium care.
Fireside's original thesis was bold: a category-focused e-commerce platform could mirror China's pet market trajectory circa 2010, growing this market to ~INR 24,000 Cr+ within five years. Unlike horizontal platforms, a verticalized platform would enable superior assortment curation, supply chain control, and trust-building services that solo vets or shops couldn't replicate.
Our first bet
Supertails launched with 180 brands, 7,000 SKUs, free Pet Buddy consultations, vet access, and a promise: 3-day pan-India delivery. Early traction was stellar. Great ARR, 40%+ monthly repeats, and 92% customer satisfaction – all hallmarks of solid PMF. The founding team's execution DNA shone through: Vineet's supply chain rigour meant fulfilment at scale; Aman's financial discipline ensured unit economics; and Varun's growth playbook brought structure.
The 14-month execution masterclass
The following year was when the magic happened. ARR nearly tripled. Brand portfolio expanded, and SKUs jumped to 12,000. Monthly orders doubled, and AOV kept inching upwards to reflect this larger array. Above all, gross margins improved, and CM2 swung towards breakeven, signaling imminent profitability.
Operationally, Supertails cracked critical milestones:
- Supertails app: Within eight months of launch, and 7 lakh installs, the app delivered over half of all revenue.
- Henlo private label: Their smell-free kibble addressing a real Indian problem.
- Logistics mastery: Almost half of all orders were same-day or next-day deliveries – a feat they managed across 26 cities.
- Customer love: With close to 50% repeat customers, the brand demonstrated extraordinary stickiness.
- Team depth: Supertails had minimal attrition, and achieved 40% female hires in corporate roles.
- ESG: Varun oversaw ESG, and the brand would soon attain ISO certifications and plastic neutrality for Henlo.
The narrative was clear: PMF validated, execution proven, and margin inflection visible. By January 2024, we weren't just backing pet care; we were backing market inflection.
Staying the course
In the next two years, Supertails didn't just grow, it transformed. ARR rocketed 2.5x, gross margins continued to expand, and the app user base hit 3 million.
What changed? The technology promise was fulfilled – as the full-stack integration matured: the platform-data-clinics flywheel accelerated, pharmacy neared ~15% of revenue, and the fast-delivery (q-comm equivalent) experiment proved viable.
Here’s a snapshot of Supertails at the end of 2025:
- Clinics network: 9 Bangalore locations operational, with 50% demand sourced from online users
- Fast delivery: 30-min q-comm pilots live in Bangalore, Mumbai, and Delhi
- Henlo expansion: Widening the private label moat
- Assortment explosion: 350+ brands, 18K SKUs, exclusive deals with leading international brands
- ESG leadership: Plastic-neutral Henlo, ISO certifications, carbon offset discussions, animal welfare supply chain partnerships, ~40% female employees, very low attrition (<5%), and strong employee NPS
By this time, our conviction had been validated. The team had executed flawlessly: Vineet's supply chain innovations lowered fulfilment costs. Aman's financial rigour ensured operational efficiency. And Varun's growth strategy opened growth drivers like clinics, fast-delivery, and private label.
Supertails’ competitive moat had deepened: its proprietary 23-point pet health data enabled ~30% higher retention; supply chain edge delivered speed; full-stack model locked in LTV via healthcare+products flywheels.
Consumer love was undeniable. The founders’ relentless customer obsession showed up in every aspect – Fear Free clinics, personalised (and unbranded) pet tags, efficient grievance resolution, and more.
Doubling down on Supertails, again
The Supertails journey reveals the Fireside thesis in action: We back founders with supply chain and execution DNA in markets approaching inflection, partner them and help them scale, and compound conviction through disciplined follow-ons.
If you’re a startup seeking early venture funding, there’s a great deal to learn:
Unit economics matter early: Supertails obsessed over CAC/LTV from month one. By Series B, CAC halved while LTV rose. This, not hype, drove follow-on conviction.
Execution DNA > market size: The market was large; scores of competitors could have entered. Founders' D2C pedigree, whether supply chain mastery, or operations muscle, or finance discipline, proved the differentiator.
Full-stack moats win: Layering products (platform) + services (vets, Pet Buddies) + healthcare (clinics, pharmacy) + logistics (q-comm) created compounding advantages.
ESG as competitive edge, not afterthought: Supertails' plastic neutrality, animal welfare focus, and employee-first culture weren't optics. They differentiated the brand and attracted talent in a crowded market.
With the latest round, Supertails is building an iconic platform with its tech-first, customer-obsessed approach. While we’re thrilled to be a part of their journey, the real win is knowing we backed a company that will become a pet parent's trusted partner for life. That's the long-term venture thesis worth betting on.
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