Vetspire has received a significant growth investment from Battery Ventures, giving the veterinary software company additional capital to accelerate product development and expand the artificial intelligence capabilities of its practice management platform.
Financial terms of the investment were not disclosed. Vetspire will operate as a standalone company and plans to direct the new capital toward product innovation, AI development and support for veterinary practices ranging from independent clinics to large multi-location operators.
The investment comes alongside a leadership change, with healthcare software executive Zachary Seely joining Vetspire as CEO. President Joe Mazzarella will remain with the company and continue focusing on customer support and experience as Vetspire expands its veterinary customer base.
Vetspire provides an AI-powered practice information management system that serves as a central operating platform for veterinary practices. Its technology combines medical records, scheduling, billing and payments, inventory management and client communications within a single system.
The platform also incorporates AI tools into clinical and administrative workflows, including automated scribe functionality, patient summarization and clinical-assistant capabilities. Those applications are designed to reduce the time veterinarians and staff spend on documentation and other administrative work.
“Vetspire is already operating at the cutting edge of veterinary software, and I am thrilled to lead the organization as it ramps up innovation in its next phase of growth,” Seely said. “As an independent company, we’ll continue investing in the platform, particularly in AI, to make every clinic and hospital we serve more efficient and more clinically effective.”
Seely previously served as CEO of FSI, a healthcare facility maintenance software platform serving acute-care facilities across the United States.
Vetspire’s technology is currently used by more than 800 veterinary hospitals and clinics. Its customers range from single-location practices to larger veterinary organizations including Thrive Pet Healthcare, Petfolk and Heart + Paw.
Battery’s investment thesis centers on the opportunity to expand Vetspire as an independent technology provider serving both ends of that market. The company’s platform gives smaller veterinary practices access to capabilities also used by large networks, while its integrated architecture allows multi-site operators to standardize clinical and business workflows across locations.
“We think Vetspire has a tremendous opportunity to grow as a forward-thinking, independent provider of technology for veterinary practices, from large, multi-site operators to smaller independent clinics,” Battery Ventures General Partner Chelsea Stoner said.
Battery also sees favorable demand fundamentals in the veterinary market. Stoner pointed to the large number of pets adopted during the COVID era that are now aging and are expected to require increasing levels of veterinary care over the next several years.
For Vetspire, that environment creates an opportunity to expand a software platform aimed at improving clinical capacity as veterinary practices manage growing care requirements. AI-enabled automation could play an increasing role in that strategy by reducing documentation workloads and allowing clinicians to spend more time on patient care.
Battery brings experience investing in specialty healthcare software and electronic health record platforms. Its previous investments in the sector include Brightree, ClearCare, ContinuumCloud, Curve Dental and WebPT.
The transaction also changes Vetspire’s ownership relationship with Thrive Pet Healthcare. Following Battery’s investment, Thrive will no longer hold an ownership interest in Vetspire but will remain a long-term customer.
Thrive CEO Tad Stahel said the platform has helped the veterinary organization create greater consistency in clinical and business processes across its hospital network. He said Vetspire’s continued investment in AI has also supported Thrive’s operations.
Vetspire said its product, engineering and customer-success teams will continue serving existing customers without interruption. The additional capital will support expanded investment across the company’s technology, customer support and AI capabilities.
The growth strategy positions Vetspire at the intersection of two expanding technology trends: vertical software designed for specialized healthcare markets and the use of AI to automate labor-intensive clinical and administrative processes. Rather than offering AI as a standalone product, Vetspire embeds the technology within the core system veterinary teams already use to manage their practices.
With Battery’s backing and new leadership in place, Vetspire plans to build on its footprint of more than 800 hospitals and clinics while continuing to serve independent practices and larger veterinary groups across the United States and Canada.
