"Caleb's the sort of dog everyone turns to look at. A shimmering golden retriever, Caleb, looks like Air Bud. He loves running on the beach, is called "California Caleb" on Instagram, and lives in West Los Angeles with his owner, Rich Cooper. Cooper stopped Steven Eidelman, founder and CEO of veterinary clinic network Modern Animal mid-walk. "You're the Modern Animal guy, right?" Cooper asked Eidelman, who confirmed he is, in fact, The Modern Animal Guy. Eidelman's not LA famous by any means, but he's apparently LA-dog-owner-famous. And he wanted to tell Eidelman himself: He and Caleb, still warmly glistening on the ground, had been having a good experience."
""That's what we started the company to do," said Eidelman, whose previous startup, Whistle, sold to Mars in 2016 for $119 million. "The only thing that matters is how you show up in every clinic." Back in the Santa Monica clinic, as spaniels, doodles, and cats passed through, Eidelman and I talked in the waiting room, something possible only because the reception desks at Modern Animal are phoneless. As Eidelman points out: "If you get 100 to 200 phone calls a day as an average vet practice, how can you focus on the ten people in the lobby?" In 2024, Modern Animal clocked 85% revenue growth year‑over‑year, reaching a $100 million run rate, the company said. Recently, Modern Animal raised $46 million in Series D funding, the company exclusively told Fortune. As the company's been growing, Eidelman has been drawing inspiration from retail businesses, which seek to answer the same question that Modern Animal does: "How do you build an iconic brand business that ultimately lives in communities?""
Modern Animal focuses on in-clinic experience by removing phone-based reception desks so staff can engage clients in the lobby. The company achieved 85% revenue growth in 2024 and reached a $100 million run rate. Modern Animal raised $46 million in Series D funding led by Addition, Upfront Ventures, and True Ventures, with Founders Fund participating. Founder Steven Eidelman previously sold Whistle to Mars and applies retail-inspired thinking to build community-rooted, iconic veterinary clinics. The model emphasizes consistent execution across clinics and reducing phone interruptions to improve customer engagement and service quality.
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