CUDDLY
CUDDLY operates a dedicated crowdfunding and e-commerce platform connecting individual donors with nonprofit animal rescues and shelters worldwide, offering rescue wishlists, monetary donations, pet adoption services, a recurring subscription program, and a consumer pet food line sold at Walmart.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersGrapevine, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What CUDDLY does
CUDDLY operates a dedicated crowdfunding and e-commerce platform serving the animal welfare sector, connecting individual donors with nonprofit animal rescues and shelters globally. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Seal Beach, California, the company runs a two-sided marketplace where animal lovers can browse rescue wishlists, make one-time or recurring monetary donations, purchase supplies for shelter animals, and access pet adoption services. The platform serves three primary constituencies: individual donors (animal lovers seeking trusted giving channels), nonprofit animal rescues and shelters (seeking funding and supply support), and product vendors supplying goods into the rescue ecosystem.
The core technology stack is a cloud-based crowdfunding and e-commerce platform with SSL-secured payment processing, mobile-optimized web access, and SMS messaging capabilities. The product suite includes Rescue Wish Lists (shelter-side product requests fulfilled via donations), a Donation Platform with Urgent Care prioritization for medical emergencies, an Adopt a Pet service, and CUDDLY Club (a recurring monthly subscription). CUDDLY has extended into physical consumer products via CUDDLY Dog Food, distributed through select Walmart locations with proceeds supporting shelter animals. The platform integrates third-party services including Google Analytics, Google AdWords, Google Maps geocoding, and email service providers; no proprietary APIs, mobile apps, or AI/ML systems are exposed or disclosed.
CUDDLY monetizes through a small administrative fee on donation transactions, markups on e-commerce wishlist purchases, recurring subscription fees on CUDDLY Club, and referral rewards funded into the giving flow. The company is privately held and has raised approximately $20.4M in disclosed funding across roughly twelve rounds from 2014 through July 2025, with notable institutional participation from Lead Edge Capital (2020), Montage Capital (2022), and RevTek Capital (2024). The organization operates with 11–50 employees, maintains a global content footprint (blog, podcasts, success stories) and a community exceeding 315K YouTube subscribers plus ~120K combined Facebook and Instagram followers. BBB-accredited under two legal entities (CUDDLY, Inc. and The CUDDLY Group, Inc.), the company continues to raise growth capital, suggesting it has not yet reached profitability.
CUDDLY firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CUDDLY
- Legal name
- CUDDLY, Inc.
- Website
- https://cuddly.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CUDDLY operates a dedicated crowdfunding and e-commerce platform connecting individual donors with nonprofit animal rescues and shelters worldwide, offering rescue wishlists, monetary donations, pet adoption services, a recurring subscription program, and a consumer pet food line sold at Walmart.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CUDDLY industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Animal Welfare Crowdfunding
- NAICS
- Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Pet and Pet Supplies Retailers (459910)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Pet Toys & Enrichment Retail (CRALAHAE)
Keywords
Where CUDDLY is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Grapevine
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
CUDDLY business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donation Transaction Processing: CUDDLY processes donations from animal lovers to rescue organizations. The platform charges a small administrative fee for transaction processing, covering payment handling, shipping, and sales tax where applicable.
- CUDDLY Club Subscriptions: Monthly subscription program where donors contribute recurring monthly donations to shelter partners. CUDDLY applies a small administrative fee covering transaction costs, with the donation amount being tax-deductible excluding the fee.
- E-commerce Product Sales: Donors can purchase items (beds, blankets, food, toys) directly from wishlists which are then shipped to rescue organizations. Revenue comes from the item price plus applicable taxes and handling charges.
- Referral Program Rewards: Refer-a-Friend program where existing donors can earn rewards (blanket donations) by referring new donors who make their first donation on the platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Donation Processing |
| Subscription | Monthly | CUDDLY Club Monthly Subscription |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | E-commerce Purchases |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
CUDDLY product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CUDDLY operates a dedicated crowdfunding platform for animal welfare organizations worldwide, enabling individual donors to browse rescue wish lists, make one-time or recurring monetary donations, purchase physical items (food, beds, toys, medical supplies) for shelter animals, and connect with adoptable pets. Shelters and rescues self-register to create fundraising campaigns and publish wishlists. The platform also operates the CUDDLY Club monthly subscription program and sells CUDDLY Dog Food at Walmart with proceeds supporting shelter animals.
Product overview
CUDDLY is a dedicated crowdfunding platform for animal welfare organizations worldwide, offering a suite of interconnected products. The core platform consists of Rescue Wish Lists (enabling shelters to request specific items), a Donation Platform for monetary contributions, Urgent Care for emergency medical funding, and Adopt a Pet for connecting animals with forever homes. The ecosystem includes CUDDLY Club for monthly recurring donations, CUDDLY Dog Food (a consumer product available at Walmart), the CUDDLY Blog and Podcasts for content marketing, and Success Stories showcasing rescue outcomes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Rescue Wish Lists A platform feature that allows animal shelters and rescues to create and share wishlists of needed items such as food, medical supplies, blankets, and toys that donors can purchase and have shipped directly to the shelter.
- Donation Platform (Grant a Poundwish) Monetary donation platform enabling donors to contribute funds directly to specific rescue animals, covering medical care, food, and shelter needs.
- Urgent Care Emergency funding category for animals requiring immediate medical attention, connecting donors with urgent rescue cases that need rapid financial support.
- Adopt a Pet Pet adoption service that connects potential adopters with rescue animals available for adoption through partner shelters and rescues.
- CUDDLY Club Monthly recurring donation subscription program that distributes funds to shelter partners, with a small administrative fee covering transaction costs and full donation amounts (excluding fees) being tax-deductible.
- CUDDLY Dog Food Pet food product line sold at select Walmart locations, with proceeds supporting shelter animals through the CUDDLY platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- Thousands of animal rescue success stories documented with documented medical outcomes and adoption results
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use CUDDLY
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
CUDDLY technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature4 records
CUDDLY partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
CUDDLY competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- GoFundMe: The largest social crowdfunding platform, hosting animal rescue and medical campaigns alongside many other categories. While not specialized for animal welfare, it represents the most direct substitute for CUDDLY's donation platform and recently acquired Classy to expand nonprofit fundraising capabilities.
- Petfinder: The largest pet adoption platform in North America, connecting adopters with shelter and rescue animals. CUDDLY's Adopt a Pet feature directly overlaps with Petfinder's core use case, and both serve the same shelter/donor ecosystem.
- Adopt-a-Pet: Nonprofit pet adoption platform serving North American shelters and rescues. Directly comparable to CUDDLY's adoption services and serves the same animal welfare organization customer segment.
- Fundly: Crowdfunding platform widely used by animal rescue and nonprofit organizations for fundraising campaigns. Competes directly with CUDDLY on donation platform functionality and shares the same shelter/rescue customer base.
- Givebutter: Modern nonprofit fundraising and donation platform offering crowdfunding, donation forms, and event ticketing. A direct peer in the nonprofit donation platform category, increasingly used by small to mid-sized nonprofits including animal welfare organizations.
- Network for Good (Bonterra): Established nonprofit fundraising and donation platform serving charities with donor management and online giving tools. A direct comparable in the donation platform space serving the same nonprofit and small charity customer segment as CUDDLY.
Broad incumbents
- Petco Love: The animal welfare philanthropic arm of Petco, operating national adoption and pet welfare programs across the US. A broader incumbent that combines animal welfare funding with the massive Petco retail footprint, comparable to CUDDLY's combination of platform + consumer brand.
- Best Friends Animal Society: One of the largest national animal welfare nonprofits in the US, running adoption centers, sanctuary operations, and national fundraising campaigns. A broader incumbent in the animal welfare fundraising space that competes for the same donor dollars as CUDDLY.
Emerging players
- BarkBox: Subscription-based DTC pet brand delivering toys, treats, and supplies to consumers. Comparable to CUDDLY's consumer pet brand strategy (CUDDLY Dog Food at Walmart) and shares the pet parent target market, though focused on subscription boxes rather than food retail.
- Wag!: Pet care services marketplace connecting pet owners with walkers, sitters, and boarders. An emerging player in the broader pet services ecosystem that shares CUDDLY's digitally-enabled, marketplace-style approach to serving pet parents and pet welfare needs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CUDDLY social profiles
Digital presenceCUDDLY financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CUDDLY leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
CUDDLY funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds11 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CUDDLY M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CUDDLY
What does CUDDLY do?
CUDDLY operates a dedicated crowdfunding platform for animal welfare organizations worldwide, enabling individual donors to browse rescue wish lists, make one-time or recurring monetary donations, purchase physical items (food, beds, toys, medical supplies) for shelter animals, and connect with adoptable pets. Shelters and rescues self-register to create fundraising campaigns and publish wishlists. The platform also operates the CUDDLY Club monthly subscription program and sells CUDDLY Dog Food at Walmart with proceeds supporting shelter animals.
Is CUDDLY a public or private company?
CUDDLY is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was CUDDLY founded?
CUDDLY was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CUDDLY based?
CUDDLY is headquartered in Grapevine, United States, in the North America region.
How does CUDDLY make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donation Transaction Processing is the primary driver. The others are CUDDLY Club Subscriptions, E-commerce Product Sales and referral Program Rewards.
Who are CUDDLY's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are GoFundMe, Petfinder, Adopt-a-Pet, Fundly, Givebutter and Network for Good (Bonterra). Broad incumbents are Petco Love and Best Friends Animal Society. Emerging players are BarkBox and Wag!.
Does CUDDLY have an API?
No public API is recorded for CUDDLY.
What industry is CUDDLY in?
CUDDLY's product category is Animal Welfare Crowdfunding. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAIAA, Animal Shelters & Adoption Services, with a secondary code of CRALAHAE, Pet Toys & Enrichment Retail. Its NAICS code is 8132 and its SIC code is 8300.