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BarkBox, Inc.
Type of businessE-commerce, subscription service
Traded asPublic
HeadquartersNew York, New York, United States
Area servedUS and Canada
Founder(s)
  • Carly Strife
  • Matt Meeker
  • Henrik Werdelin
CEOMatt Meeker
RevenueIncrease$365 million(2020)[1]
Employees450
URLwww.barkbox.com
LaunchedDecember 2011; 13 years ago (2011-12)

BarkBox is a monthly subscription service providing dog products, services, and experiences. BARK serves over 2 million dogs monthly through BarkBox and Super Chewer subscriptions and retail distribution.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

On December 17, 2020, Barkbox, Inc. and Northern Star Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: STIC.U), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, announced that they had entered into a definitive merger agreement. As a result of the transaction, which values the Company at an enterprise value of approximately $1.6 billion, BARK will become a publicly listed company on the New York Stock Exchange under the new ticker symbol, "BARK".[8][9]

History

[edit]

The company was founded December 2011 by Carly Strife, Matt Meeker, and Henrik Werdelin.[2][6] Prior to co-founding BarkBox, Meeker co-founded the social networking site Meetup.com.[2][7][10] Meeker currently serves as CEO.[11] Werdelin had founded Prehype.

In April 2013, the company raised $6.7 million in a venture funding.[6][10][12] The company surpassed the $25 million revenue run rate the same year.[12] BARK received an additional $15 Million in Series B funding led by Resolute.vc, along with RRE, BoxGroup, Lerer Ventures, Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments, Slow Ventures, Daher Capital, CAA, Vast Ventures, and City National Bank in 2014.[3][4]

BARK launched BarkCam in early 2014, a photo sharing app which operates as an "Instagram for dogs" and their owners.[13]

BarkBox allows owners to personalize their dog's monthly subscription boxes based on their dog's needs. Each dog is unique and requires different toy options to match their style of play.[14]

Products and services

[edit]
  • BarkBox, a monthly subscription service for dogs.[10] Each BarkBox has at least 2 toys, 2 treats, and a chew each month, all based on a monthly theme.[15]
  • BARK Bright, a dog wellness product line. The company launched the first Bright product in October 2019 with Bright Dental[16][17][18][19][20] — an enzymatic gel toothpaste and dental chew. Bright Dental received an honorable mention in Fast Company's World Changing Ideas 2020 and a mention in Time's Best Inventions 2019.[21][22]
  • BARK Essentials, every day items for dogs such as a memory foam dog bed with bed sheets and poop bags.[23][24]
  • BARK Eats, a dog-food delivery service launched in March 2020.[25][26]
  • BarkPost, a dog-themed content site.[7][27]
  • BarkBuddy is similar to a "Tinder for dogs", as users can swipe left or right depending on their level of interest in the dog.[28][29] The free app, available for iPhone and Android,[30] is designed to match humans with dogs up for adoption at nearby shelters, and users can filter choices by gender, location, activity level, age, and size.[30] The app is connected to rescue centers and shelters across the United States and Canada, and there are approximately 300,000 dogs in the database.[28][29][30] The app sources many of its adoptable dogs from the pet adoption website Petfinder and from BARK's personal network of shelters and rescue organizations.[29]
  • BARK Air, a private jet service for dogs and their owners.[31]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "BarkBox: Acquisition by Northern Star, $1.6B IPO". 17 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Sarah E. Needleman (22 March 2013). "Are You Ready to Go From Founder to Top Dog". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  3. ^ a b Sarah Perez (11 July 2014). "Doggie-Focused Bark & Co (BarkBox) Raises $15 Million Series B". TechCrunch. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  4. ^ a b Dan Primack (14 July 2014). "Deals of the day: Mylan finds its tax inversion partner". Fortune. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  5. ^ Sheila Marikar (11 July 2014). "Turning 'Likes' Into a Career". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  6. ^ a b c "BarkBox Founder Matt Meeker is Building A Community for Man's Best Friend". The Huffington Post. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  7. ^ a b c Alyson Shontell (10 July 2013). "BarkBox Generates $1 Million Per Month, Wants To Become A $5 Billion Company in 5 Years". Business Insider. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  8. ^ Scott, Charity L. (17 December 2020). "WSJ News Exclusive | BarkBox to Go Public in $1.6 Billion Deal". Wall Street Journal.
  9. ^ "Barkbox to go public through merger with SPAC Northern Star Acquisition, as ticker changes to 'BARK'".
  10. ^ a b c Lauren Drell (20 August 2013). "Top Dog: BarkBox's Mission to Reinvent the Pet Industry". Mashable. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  11. ^ "Co Founder and Executive Chairman Matt Meeker to Become CEO".
  12. ^ a b Erin Griffith (Oct 25, 2013). "Mock all you want: Barbox is laughing all the way to the bank". PandoDaily. Retrieved Jul 28, 2014.
  13. ^ Karissa Bell (Jul 16, 2014). "BarkCam Helps the Pet-Obsessed Take Better Dog Portraits". Mashable. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  14. ^ "Super Chewer Versus Customizing Your BarkBox". BARK. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
  15. ^ "Is BarkBox Worth It? Coupons included". Dog Endorsed. 2018-12-20. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  16. ^ King, Rachel. "Exclusive: The Makers of BarkBox Are Moving Into an Often Overlooked Space in Pet Wellness". Fortune.
  17. ^ Alcantra, Ann-Marie. "Bark Expands Into Health With a Dog Dental Care Solution". Adweek.
  18. ^ Bender, Kelli. "Brushing Your Dog's Teeth Just Got Easier Thanks to This Tooth Brush That's Also a Treat". People.
  19. ^ Gerard, Emily. "Hate brushing your dog's teeth? This dental kit will make it a breeze". Today.
  20. ^ Steele, Lauren (29 April 2020). "Spending more time with your dog? These 12 ingenious toys and accessories will make both your lives happier". Fast Company.
  21. ^ Clendaniel, Morgan (28 April 2020). "World Changing Ideas Awards 2020: Consumer Products Finalists and Honorable Mentions". Fast Company.
  22. ^ "BARK Bright Dental: Special Mention on The 100 Best Inventions of 2019". Time.
  23. ^ Crump, Tiana. "A Memory Foam Dog Bed With 10,000+ Raves & 4 More Pup-Approved Picks On Amazon". Bustle.
  24. ^ Rose, Megan (29 December 2019). "Your Dog Has Been Dreaming of These Beds ..." Best Products.
  25. ^ "Bark starts dog-food delivery service".
  26. ^ "Calming Donut Dog Bed".
  27. ^ Jillian D'Onfro (Oct 2013). "BarkBox Adds Media-Maven and 'Dog Parent' Cathie Black TO Its Board". Business Insider. Retrieved Jul 28, 2014.
  28. ^ a b Laura Stampler (20 May 2014). "Sick of the People on Dating Apps? Now There's a Tinder for Dogs". Time. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  29. ^ a b c Kelly Faircloth (May 27, 2014). "There's Finally a Tinder for Adoptable Dogs". Jezebel. Retrieved Aug 6, 2014.
  30. ^ a b c Amy Eley (May 29, 2014). "Tinder for dogs? BarkBuddy app matches pet lovers with local rescues". Today. Retrieved Aug 6, 2014.
  31. ^ Backman, Melvin. "There's a new $6,000-a-flight airline for dogs and of course it's called Bark Air". Quartz.
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