What Hound does

Hound, Inc. is a Denver-based, venture-backed software company that operates a two-sided marketplace and SaaS platform purpose-built for the veterinary workforce. Founded in 2021, the company connects veterinary professionals — veterinarians, technicians, assistants, receptionists, and managers — with veterinary practices and corporate groups seeking to hire, fill relief shifts, or retain staff. The platform spans five distinct product surfaces: Scout (a job marketplace with AI-driven matching and an exclusive pay-transparency feature called Pay Score), Groove (relief-shift management and coordination with integrated Stripe Connect payments), Rally (employee engagement and retention surveys), Hound Collective (a CE and perks community), and Homelove (an at-home veterinary care service staffed by insured technicians). In July 2023 Hound acquired Relief Rover, consolidating relief-veterinary services and bringing Chief Veterinary Officer Cindy Trice, DVM onto the leadership team.

The underlying technology is a SaaS marketplace with a recommendation engine for job matching, mobile apps on iOS and Android, and an enterprise tier offering custom XML feeds, ATS-to-HRIS API integrations, and a 99.9% uptime SLA. AI capabilities are layered on top — including an AI Recruiter Co-Pilot (in early access) for autonomous candidate sourcing, and AI clinical documentation delivered via a VetRec partnership — but core matching and workflow logic are the company's primary differentiators rather than foundational models. Hound generates revenue through subscription fees paid by veterinary practices and enterprise groups for job postings, candidate matching, and talent-management tooling, supplemented by transaction fees on relief shifts booked through Groove. The enterprise tier, targeting consolidators with 10 to 1,000+ practices (e.g., Amerivet, EverVet, Western Veterinary Partners, Innovetive Petcare), is sold via direct field sales with dedicated account managers, quarterly business reviews, and custom onboarding, while the SMB and job-seeker side runs on a product-led growth motion across web and mobile. Disclosed scale metrics include 30,000+ veterinary professionals on the platform, 8,000+ practices listed across all 50 US states, and facilitated professional earnings exceeding $100M.

Name

Hound

Legal name

Hound, Inc.

Website

https://hound.vet

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hound is a Denver-based SaaS marketplace purpose-built for veterinary workforce management, connecting 30,000+ veterinary professionals with 8,000+ practices across all 50 US states via Scout (job matching), Groove (relief shifts), and Rally (retention). Enterprise tiers serve large practice consolidators with custom integrations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veterinary Workforce Management Software

NAICS

Veterinary Services (54194)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Enterprise & Multi-site Veterinary Operations (Corporate/Group Practice) (HLAMAMAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Veterinary Client Engagement & Marketing (CRM, Reminders, Portals) (HLAMAMAE)

Keywords

• Veterinary job marketplace
• Veterinary recruitment software
• Relief shift management
• Veterinary workforce platform
• Employee retention software

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Employer Job Postings & Recruitment Services: Veterinary practices and employer groups pay to post jobs, access candidate matching, and use recruitment tools on the Hound platform. Enterprise tier includes dedicated support, custom analytics, and API integrations.
2. Marketplace Transaction Fees: Shift booking fees calculated at time of shift booking for relief coordination through the Groove platform. Employers pay shift fees for relief veterinary services coordinated through the marketplace.
3. Enterprise Software Subscriptions: Enterprise groups with 10 to 1,000+ practices pay for comprehensive hiring and talent management platform access including portfolio profile management, user permissions, custom API integrations, and dedicated account management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Hound operates a two-sided veterinary marketplace that connects veterinary professionals (veterinarians, technicians, assistants, receptionists, and managers) with veterinary practices for permanent jobs, relief shifts, traveling relief work, externships, and relocation opportunities. The platform combines Scout (job matching and recruitment), Groove (relief shift coordination with integrated Stripe Connect payments), and Rally (employee engagement and retention surveys), with enterprise tiers offering custom API integrations, XML ingestion, and dedicated account management for groups with 10 to 1,000+ practices.

Product overview

Hound is a veterinary workforce enablement company offering a unified platform of recruitment, relief, and retention software. The core products include Scout (veterinary talent marketplace with job matching and candidate profiles), Groove (relief shift management with optional payment processing via Stripe Connect), and Rally (employee engagement surveys). The company acquired Relief Rover in July 2023 to unify relief veterinary services with its talent platform. Additional offerings include Hound Collective (CE and community), Homelove (at-home veterinary care service), and Hound Enterprise (enterprise-tier solution with custom API integrations, XML ingestion, and dedicated support). An AI Recruiter Co-Pilot feature is in early access for automating candidate sourcing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Scout: Hound's job marketplace and recruiting platform for veterinary professionals to find employment and relief shifts
• Groove
• Rally
• Hound Collective
• Homelove

Products and services

• Scout Hound's primary veterinary talent marketplace and recruitment platform. Connects veterinarians, technicians, assistants, receptionists, and managers with veterinary employers across all 50 states, offering AI-powered job matching, candidate profiles, integrated messaging, pay transparency (Pay Score), and access to 5,000+ jobs and relief shifts.
• Groove Relief shift management and coordination software that enables veterinary employers to post, book, manage, and track relief shifts in one place with relief pros and agency partners. Includes optional payment processing via Stripe Connect for employer-to-job-seeker payments.
• Rally Employee engagement and retention tool offering a survey platform for veterinary teams to track performance, satisfaction trends, build camaraderie, and strengthen communication. Used by practices including WellHaven Pet Health (zero DVM turnover) and Austin Veterinary Specialty & Emergency (reduced turnover by 7% in 4 months).
• Hound Enterprise Enterprise-tier recruitment solution for large veterinary practice groups with 10 to 1,000+ practices. Includes dedicated account management, portfolio profile buildout, custom analytics dashboards, XML ingestion (automatic updates four times daily), custom API integrations (ATS to HRIS), 99.9% uptime SLA, and AI Recruiter Co-Pilot.
• Relief Rover Relief veterinary services platform acquired by Hound in July 2023 that connects independent practices with relief veterinary professionals. Now integrated into Hound's unified veterinary work platform.
• Homelove At-home veterinary care service delivering blood draws, vaccines, SQ fluids, blood pressures, and other services through insured, experienced veterinary technicians. Extends clinic reach into clients' homes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30K+ veterinary professionals have used Hound for better employee experience
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• VetReccoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Hound partnered with VetRec to deliver AI-powered documentation tools to veterinary professionals. This integration brings AI scribes into the Hound platform to help reduce documentation burden for veterinarians.
• Relief RovercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 July 2023Hound acquired Relief Rover to unify teams, communities, and technology in veterinary medicine. The acquisition combined Hound's talent platform with Relief Rover's relief veterinary services to address workforce demand and modernize care delivery. Both companies planned to develop new solutions and expand impact in the veterinary sector.
• NAVC (North American Veterinary Community)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Hound and NAVC partnered to equip veterinary practices and professionals with innovative recruiting, relief, and retention software. This partnership leverages NAVC's industry influence and educational resources with Hound's technology platform.
• MWI Animal HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Strategic partnership announced to expand distribution and market presence in veterinary medicine. MWI Animal Health is a major animal health distributor providing Hound access to broader market reach.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Roo: Roo operates a two-sided veterinary relief marketplace connecting vets and techs with practices for shift coverage. It is the most direct competitor to Hound's Groove relief product and overlaps heavily on the professional side of Hound's marketplace.
• IndeVets: IndeVets is a veterinary staffing company placing vets in partner hospitals on a relief and fractional basis. It competes with Hound for both employer hiring budgets and vet professional mindshare on the relief/temporary work segment.

Broad incumbents

• PetDesk: PetDesk is a veterinary client engagement and practice operations platform serving thousands of vet practices. While its core focus is client communication and reminders rather than workforce, it competes for the same veterinary practice software wallet.
• ezyVet: ezyVet is a widely deployed veterinary practice management software platform used by enterprise groups and independent clinics. It competes for enterprise relationships and increasingly offers recruitment-adjacent features within its broader practice suite.

Emerging players

• Modern Animal: Modern Animal is a venture-backed veterinary clinic chain building proprietary technology for its operations. It operates in Hound's addressable market as both a potential customer (for hiring) and a competitor for vet professional attention.
• Bond Vet: Bond Vet is a tech-enabled veterinary clinic operator with a strong employer brand and active hiring across multiple US markets. It is both a likely enterprise customer and an indirect competitor for the same vet talent pool.
• BetterVet: BetterVet operates a mobile and in-clinic veterinary care model with proprietary workforce scheduling. Its emphasis on flexible scheduling overlaps thematically with Hound's relief and flexible-work offerings.

Others

• Vetcove: Vetcove is a B2B marketplace for veterinary supply purchasing across thousands of practices. It is comparable as a vertical marketplace embedded in the same veterinary practice buyer workflow, though on the supply side rather than labor.
• Rover: Rover is a consumer-facing pet services marketplace. While serving a different vertical (pet sitting/dog walking rather than vet hiring), it is structurally analogous as a two-sided marketplace with network effects and is sometimes cited as a comparable business model reference.
• Wag!: Wag! is a pet care marketplace for dog walking and similar services. Like Rover, it is comparable to Hound as a two-sided pet-vertical marketplace rather than as a direct competitor in veterinary hiring.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hound.vet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/houndvet
• Instagraminstagram.com/hound
• Xx.com/hound_vet

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors8 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hound