Meet Jason Meltzer of Paway

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Meltzer.

Jason, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My founder story started at the age of 13 when I walked neighborhood dogs in LA’s Topanga Canyon. After graduating from Arizona State University with a degree in psychology and business, I started working in software sales for a Fortune 500 company. Later I was recruited for a business development position at Zumbox, a startup that raised $28.3M from Steve Case to bring Digital Postal Mail to reality. After reading The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris, I was inspired to quit my tech job and start my first dog walking company, SurfDog LA. Soon after, I joined the founding team as the first CEO of Wag! in 2014. Later, I ended up reconnecting with my former teammates from Wag! to start Paway in early 2020. It then launched in the App Store in August 2020. Over 74% of dogs are depressed mostly due to lack of care. To solve this, Paway built the first connected network designed for your pet. Paway connects pet parents, friends, neighbors, family and pet care professionals like dog walkers, sitters and trainers with your dog. Now with Paway, all your caregivers can be found in one place and you can connect with your community through our GPS-based social app when taking your dog out in public. Paway users can see what furry friends they pass on the street and whether their dog can play or should stay away. Additionally, users can also schedule playdates, keep track of daily chores and find help when they need it.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road hasn’t always been a smooth one. I feel like we hit roadblocks every single day and that’s just part of the founder’s journey. It’s not supposed to be easy, and someone has to pioneer a new way. I’ve been pioneering in the pet space for a decade with folks telling me it can’t be done. It started with SurfDogLA when my family thought I was crazy for starting a dog walking company. They changed their mind when I turned that into a 6-figure business. Then later when I started Wag! people doubted we could scale and that pet parents would trust an app to walk their dog. Again, they were proven wrong and Wag! was very successful. I hear the same thing from doubters with Paway that a community built for pet parents isn’t possible and there is not enough market size for SaaS for pet care providers to work. But they don’t know what I know. I know that over 60% of US households own a dog, and this is a tipping point where the niche becomes mainstream. That last year over 12 million people got dogs, many of them new dog owners who are looking for ways to keep their dogs healthy. They also don’t know that at Wag we processed millions of applications for folks who want to be dog walkers in the US. There is tremendous demand on both sides of the equation and one platform can link these two together seamlessly, creating massive potential for returns.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Paway Inc.?
Paway is using technology to make dog parenting easier, to build a community for dogs and to improve the overall health of dogs. Dogs have many connections both personal and professional and we connect them together in a free app. We built the first connected pet care network. We cater to Gen-Z and millennial pet parents who look at their dogs’ health holistically. Pet care professionals which represent 20% of total care for dogs are looking to grow their businesses, we provide software for them to market their services, manage their schedule, and share progress reports. Since we launched, Paway has seen staggering growth with over 5 million minutes of user engagement. We have users across 120 different countries engaging with our interactive map daily. Our mission is to make it possible to go anywhere in the world with your dog and tap into the local pet community.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Building this brand has been over ten years in the making. This is a culmination of all of my learnings in the pet space and my passion for animals. At the end of the day, nothing makes me happier than knowing I’m creating a healthier, more enjoyable life for the dogs in our care as well as encouraging more open and democratic solutions for pet owners and pet care providers.

Paway is using technology to make dog parenting easier, to foster a community around our dogs and to improve the health of dogs. Dogs have many connections both personal and professional and we connect them together in a free app. We built the first connected pet care network. We cater to Gen-Z and millennial pet parents who look at their dogs’ health holistically. To cater to pet care providers looking to grow their businesses, we provide software for them to market their services, manage their schedules, and share progress reports. Since we launched, Paway has seen staggering growth with over 5 million minutes of user engagement. We have users across 120 different countries engaging with our interactive map daily. Our mission is to make it possible to go anywhere in the world with your dog and tap into the local pet community…

Pricing:

• Free for Pet Parents
• Starting at $20/mo for pet care professionals

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.paway.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paway_app/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PawayApp
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Paway_App
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtjW6vcOr_Nh2FAuuFQEJdA/featured