Meet An Entrepreneur
FadyAzzouny graduated as a vet but saw problems in his field while he was studying. He started up several projects, of which a few have turned into medium-sized companies. Azzouny says his initial problem was the absence of technology for his solutions, with Vetwork, he believes he can realise his vision of carefree pet care.
EG: What inspired you to get involved in pet care?
FA: Pet care should be easy. However, both pet owners and vets face difficulties. Why sit for 30-45 minutes in a crowded waiting room when the vet can make a house call at a mutually convenient time? Rather than amass huge amounts of money to fund a clinic, vets can provide a service without any initial cost and earn extra money to live a better life. Regulating the pet care industry involves a lot of innovation. Our vision is to use available technologies to make everyone’s life easier and right now we’re on the right track.
EG: What solutions do you offer?
FA: We solve the problem of finding a good vet by selecting our practitioners from a pool of more than 1,000 annual applicants. Home visits are made available 24/7, so no lingering in waiting rooms. We help vets boost their salaries by offering them easy access to supplementary income. Moreover, the pet care industry in the world is rapidly growing. A pet is no longer an accessory or luxury item. A pet is one of the family. In the Middle East and North Africa region, more people are aware of animal rights. Nevertheless, the market is still highly unregulated. Pet owners cannot always find trusted sources of information or medicines because the market for animal medications is unstable.
EG: Tell us more about the process, users and business model.
FA: As we stand, the process is the same across Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The 300 vets from these three countries on our books help us cater to our customer’s needs. A pet owner can log onto our website or app and request a service at the time of their choosing. A vet will be assigned and introduced to the client.The vet will then arrive and deliver tips and tricks in petcare. Our medical records also allow us to follow up with our pet owners to make sure that everything is going according to plan and their pet is getting better.
EG: What are your main challenges?
FA: Since we promise to deliver all your pet’s needs, finding the right groomers, trainers, vets and boarding facilities are always challenges due to our strict onboarding guidelines.
EG: What is your achievements and plan for the future?
FA: Having launched in three countries, our plan is to expanding in the MENA region and build our presence in the countries that need us the most. Our tech infrastructure allows us to launch in any country in a matter of days and we plan to take advantage of this to test markets and become your pet’s partner anywhere in the Middle East.
EG: Do you think the entrepreneurial ecosystem supports you?
FA: Ideas and mentorship, we’re always happy to learn and listen to other people’s ideas on how we can make petcare an easier process. We try our best to promote pet adoption since a lot of shelters are full of pets that need a home. Access to people with a wider audience can surely help us deliver our message to the people that need us the most.
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