THE BLOG

Home & Pet Sitting: How Royal Sitter Is Making Its Mark from the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis

In a world where digitalization is transforming every sector, Maxime Saucray, co-founder and CEO of Royal Sitter, reveals how his company is revolutionizing the home and pet sitting market, a service for house and pet care.

From the genesis of this innovative start-up to its ambitious plans for fundraising and strategic partnerships, discover how Royal Sitter aims to establish itself as a key player in the animal and tourism ecosystem, all while benefiting from the advantages offered by its location in the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis.

Could you give us an overview of the genesis of Royal Sitter?

Absolutely. Royal Sitter was founded in April 2021 by myself and my associates Anton Delmas and Steve Thivrier. Our initial goal was to digitize and optimize the traditional concept of “home sitting.” We identified several areas in need of improvement, particularly in terms of security and reliability.

After a research and development phase, we launched our online platform, designed to facilitate secure connections between homeowners and house and pet sitters.

Since our launch, we have experienced rapid growth and now count more than 20,000 people in our community, between clients and sitters. This attests to the effectiveness of our model and the quality of services we offer.

We have also expanded our portfolio of services to include “pet sitting” since the beginning of 2023, a more daily and local form of pet care.

What are the major strengths of your offer that set you apart in the market?

Our offer is built around several key pillars that allow us to stand out in the market. First, our specialty is “home sitting,” a model where sitters benefit from free housing in exchange for pet care.

This system offers a dual advantage: it allows homeowners to ensure a presence at home, thereby reducing the risk of burglary, and offers sitters the opportunity to travel without the associated housing costs.

Secondly, we have developed a complementary “pet sitting” offer, which targets a younger population and offers increased flexibility. In this model, the sitter can either take the pet to their home or make visits or walks, depending on the owner’s needs.

Thirdly, security and reliability are at the heart of our business model. We are in the process of establishing a partnership with a training center to allow our pet sitters to obtain a certificate of competence in animal knowledge. This ensures that our sitters are not only passionate but also qualified, which is a guarantee of quality for our clients.

Finally, our online platform is designed to be as intuitive as possible, thus facilitating the connection between homeowners and sitters. This has contributed to our rapid growth.

Your company is based in the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis. What specific advantages does this location offer you?

The location of Royal Sitter in the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis has been a strategic decision that has brought us multiple advantages. First, we have just joined the innovation hub of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis, which allows us to benefit from a very favorable entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The territory has given us the opportunity to meet committed local elected officials, which is quite rare and valuable. These interactions have opened doors for us and facilitated our integration into the local economic fabric.

Moreover, this location has allowed us to build relationships with other entrepreneurs. The sharing of experiences and advice is an undeniable asset for a start-up in a growth phase like ours. The hub also organizes events that promote networking to further expand our network.

Finally, the region itself is an asset. The quality of life is one of the factors that attract potential talents and clients. This creates a virtuous circle that promotes entrepreneurship and business development.

What are your development projects?

Our ambitions are multiple and revolve around several strategic axes. In terms of financing, we are in the preparation phase for a fundraising round that will be between €500,000 and €700,000.

This fundraising specifically targets the internationalization of our home sitting offer in Europe and the developement of our mobile application to enhance the user experience.

As for partnerships, we are in advanced discussions with pet food manufacturers and pet insurance companies. The goal is to create a complete ecosystem around pet care. We plan to offer “all-in-one” packages that would include care, insurance, and pet food.

Finally, we position ourselves in two markets: we are active both in the pet market and in the tourism market. This gives us flexibility and a diversity of opportunities for our future development.

We plan to collaborate with travel agencies to offer packages combining tourism and pet care. This dual focus allows us to target a broader clientele and diversify our revenue streams.

Website : https://royalsitter.com