Arcanimal

What Arcanimal does

Arcanimal is a Brazilian non-profit social startup founded in May 2024 in direct response to the climate disasters that affected Rio Grande do Sul (RS). The company operates a free, web-based pet adoption marketplace at arcanimal.com.br that connects animal shelters with prospective adopters across Brazil. Shelters self-register to list abandoned or surrendered animals, and adopters browse available pets through a filterable interface that supports searches by animal type, sex, size, age, and shelter location. Adoption success stories — long-form narratives such as those of the elderly poodle Anitta and the dog formerly known as 'Bem Estar 16' (now Gaúcho) — function as the platform's primary engagement content and are surfaced through both the website and its social channels.

The underlying technology is a conventional web platform with user account creation via email or social login and a self-serve shelter onboarding flow. The product is single-tenant and web-only; there is no mobile app, no API, no documented integrations, and no AI/ML components disclosed. Distribution is entirely organic: a LinkedIn page (@projeto.arcanimal) and an Instagram profile (@projeto.arcanimal) drive top-of-funnel awareness, while a network of four corporate supporters — PetsRS, GRAD, Dog Goods, and Animaltag — provide amplification through logos and co-promotion on the partner page.

The business model is freemium with no disclosed monetization mechanism; both shelter and adopter sides of the marketplace access the platform at no cost, and no pricing, subscription, or transaction fees are publicly stated. The company has 11 employees, is classified as a non-profit, has no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and no institutional investors on record. Revenue is therefore effectively Pre-revenue, with the operation sustained by mission-driven sponsor relationships rather than commercial pricing. Future commercial vectors implied by the website footer (Donate, Education) suggest an emerging nonprofit/donor support model rather than a traditional SaaS trajectory.

Name

Arcanimal

Legal name

Arcanimal

Website

https://arcanimal.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Arcanimal is a Brazilian non-profit social startup that operates a free web-based pet adoption marketplace connecting animal shelters with prospective adopters across Brazil, founded in May 2024 after climate disasters in Rio Grande do Sul.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pet Adoption Services

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291), Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (812910)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAIAA

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Animal Welfare & Wildlife Rescue

SECONDARYAFAEALAB

Animal Shelters & Rescue Operations

Agriculture & Food Production/Animal Production & Aquaculture/Animal Welfare, Boarding & Production Support Services (non-veterinary)

Keywords

• Pet adoption platform
• Animal shelter network
• Adoption marketplace
• Animal welfare services
• Pet adoption listings

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Platform services for shelters and adopters: Free platform connecting shelters with potential adopters. Revenue model not explicitly disclosed in available sources.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Arcanimal operates a web-based pet adoption platform that connects animal shelters in Brazil with potential adopters. Shelters self-register on the platform to list abandoned animals available for adoption, while prospective adopters browse available pets filtered by type, sex, size, age, and shelter location. The platform also publishes adoption success stories to support its social mission of transforming the reality of abandoned animals and shelters in Brazil.

Product overview

Arcanimal offers a single unified pet adoption platform that connects abandoned animals with potential adopters and shelters in Brazil. The core platform enables shelter registration and animal listing management, while providing a browsable adoption interface with filtering by animal type, sex, size, age, and location. The platform includes user account creation with email/social login and adoption browsing as the primary functionality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plataforma de Adoção Arcanimal A web-based pet adoption platform connecting animal shelters in Brazil with potential adopters. Shelters can self-register to list abandoned animals available for adoption, and adopters can browse available pets using filters for type, sex, size, age, and shelter location. The platform also publishes adoption success stories to support animal welfare in Brazil.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• PetsRSminorOthersPartner company supporting the Arcanimal mission in animal welfare. Listed on the website as a trusted partner company.
• GRADminorOthersPartner organization (gradbrasil.org.br) supporting the Arcanimal platform and animal adoption cause.
• Dog GoodsminorOthersPet product company (doggoods.com.br) partnering with Arcanimal to support animal welfare initiatives.
• AnimaltagminorOthersPet-focused company (animalltag.com.br) collaborating with Arcanimal on the animal welfare mission.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Petango: Pet adoption search platform operating in partnership with shelters across North America, providing filterable listings of adoptable animals. Closely comparable in product functionality and target users.
• Petfinder: Founded in 1995, Petfinder is the largest US-based pet adoption marketplace, listing adoptable animals from thousands of shelters and rescues. It is the most directly comparable business model to Arcanimal - a free, two-sided listings platform connecting shelters with adopters.
• Adopt-a-Pet: US-based non-profit pet adoption platform (formerly Petfinder Foundation-aligned) connecting shelters and prospective adopters. Directly mirrors Arcanimal's model and non-profit structure.
• RescueGroups: US-based non-profit offering shelter and rescue management software alongside a public adoption listings portal. Directly comparable as a platform serving the same shelter-to-adopter matching use case.

Emerging players

• DogHero: Brazilian marketplace for pet services including dog walking, pet sitting, and daycare (often described as Brazil's 'Rover'). Same Brazilian market and platform-mediated pet services model; adjacent rather than direct overlap since it focuses on services rather than adoption.

Broad incumbents

• Petz: Brazil's largest pet retail chain (physical stores plus e-commerce) and listed company (B3: PETZ3). Provides grooming, vet, and adoption-adjacent services; a broad incumbent in the same Brazilian pet consumer market as Arcanimal.
• Petlove: Brazil's largest online pet retailer and services platform, offering e-commerce, vet telemedicine, and content. A broad incumbent whose scale and traffic could subsume adoption listings as a sidebar feature.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arcanimal
• Instagraminstagram.com/projeto.arcanimal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Arcanimal