Bark Social Expanding Locations Following New Funding
Bark Social, the first premium social club for dogs and their parents, is expanding to numerous new locations along the East coast after closing a new financing round of $2 million, bringing its total funding to $5.3 million since last year.
The experiential off-leash dog park, beer garden and coffee house for dogs and their owners is expanding to new locations up and down the I-95 corridor within the next few years, including Richmond, Charlottesville, Northern Virginia, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and North Jersey. Bark Social is also in real estate deal negotiations in Southern California and Southeast Florida. The previously announced Bark Social Baltimore is slated to open in spring 2022.
“Additional funding has allowed us to grow into new markets and bring the one-of-a-kind Bark Social experience to communities up and down the east coast,” said Bark Social co-founder Luke Silverman. “Expanding Bark Social while growing the dog lover community is one of our biggest goals and we are grateful for all of the dogs, humans and investors that are making it possible. We are thrilled that more dogs and dog lovers alike will have a safe and playful space to enjoy some of life’s greatest pleasures– dogs, beer and coffee.”
The most recent round of funding was led by Early Light Ventures Syndicate, a leading Baltimore-based fund and angel investor syndicate, which joins early investors Philip Krim, Founder of Casper; Nick Stafford, CEO of Ollie Pets; Alex Lieberman, Founder of Morning Brew; Arie Abecassis, former Board Director of SeatGeek; Kevin Conroy, Founder of Conroy Media and former senior executive at MGM, Univision, AOL, Bertelsmann, FOX and CBS; Charles Rosenzweig, Founder of Rosenzweig Sports & Entertainment Consulting and former Senior Vice President Entertainment & Player Marketing, National Basketball Association and others from the retail, technology and pet industries.
“We are delighted to welcome Early Light Ventures Syndicate as a Bark Social partner,” said Jeff Kurtzman, Bark Social co-founder. “With our shared vision for the brand, we are eager to work together to expand our product offerings and grow Bark Social’s positioning as the premier social club for dog lovers.”
In addition to its increased brick-and-mortar presence, Bark Social is broadening its retail reach with a new line of puppy ice cream and pupsicles, along with a first-ever subscription box made for both humans and their furry companions. Merchandise is available on-site and online.