• by Sara Guaglione , October 19, 2020

The Dodo, Group Nine’s animal-focused media brand, is investing in pet insurance provider Petplan.

Group Nine has taken a minority stake in Petplan, which was acquired by private equity firm Warburg Pincus LLC last year.

Petplan will be renamed Fetch by The Dodo in May 2021. It will combine its insurance technology and coverage of over 250,000 members with The Dodo’s brand and audience of 100 million Americans, according to the companies.

Ben Lerer, CEO of Group Nine Media, has joined the Fetch board of directors. Paul Guyardo will become CEO of Fetch by The Dodo.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

The company will release a new mobile app next year, offering users access to insurance plans, a pet community and personalized pet health and wellness information.

Petplan is also building an analytics capability using AI and machine learning to predict a pet’s health trajectory, as well as provide tools aiming to improve pet wellness and decrease vet care costs. 

The Dodo will hire a dedicated team of content creators, brand and growth marketers and social media managers to collaborate with the existing Petplan team.

The Dodo “continues to expand and diversify its consumer touchpoints from Netflix, to children’s books and podcasts, so this is a huge next step in our brand’s growth,” stated YuJung Kim, president of The Dodo. 

Last year, The Dodo partnered with Airbnb to offer animal experiences, allowing guests to meet and connect with animals through the people who take care of them.