Emerging Pet Care Franchise has Awarded 600-Plus Licenses
- Sparkle Grooming, a pet care franchise, has received $6 million in funding.
- Sparkle Grooming began franchising in 2024, and a news release says the company already has notched 600-plus licenses. It continues to seek multi-unit investors.
- North America represents a rich market for pet grooming services, and it’s growing at more than 7% per year, according to Grand View Research.
Sparkle Grooming Co. has secured a $6 million investment to empower further expansion of the fast-growing pet care brand. The funding round was led by Companion Fund, a venture capital fund managed by Digitalis Ventures in partnership with Mars Petcare.
A news release from Sparkle Grooming said the financing will be used to maintain the brand’s momentum by supporting its franchise partners, fueling additional expansion and allowing it to scale its franchise system with discipline. The pet grooming brand was founded in 2022 and began franchising in 2024. During the past two years, the news release said Sparkle Grooming has awarded more than 600 franchise licenses.
The Sparkle Grooming news release said the company was founded to modernize a fragmented business category and aims to enhance pets’ wellness by making hygiene and grooming routine for the animals. Sparkle’s business model blends recurring memberships, standardized operating systems, proprietary technology and a hospitality-driven customer experience.
Reaction from Companies’ Leaders
In announcing the funding on Sept. 9, Ben Crawford, co-founder and CEO of Sparkle Grooming, said “the significance of this investment goes well beyond the capital. Digitalis brings deep experience across pet care and animal health, along with a perspective that is highly relevant to where we believe this industry is going.” He also said the investment serves as a validation of Sparkle’s franchise model.
Ben Jacobs, a partner at Digitalis Ventures, said Sparkle Grooming stood out as a solid investment because it combines a differentiated consumer proposition with a team that knows how to build and scale a franchise system. “They have demonstrated strong early adoption while remaining focused on the capabilities required to build a durable business over the long term,” Jacobs added.
Digitalis Ventures invests in companies that leverage science, technology and design to solve problems in human and animal health. Founded in 2016, the venture capital firm is based in New York City.
About Sparkle and Its Market
Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Sparkle Grooming has 10 salons in operation, and its pipeline of franchise commitments is gearing up around the United States. By the end of this year, the news release said Sparkle expects to have at least 20 salons in operation. More than 30 openings are in the works for 2027, the news release said. In the meantime, Sparkle continues to seek additional multi-unit franchisees.
Sparkle Grooming is positioned to tap growing demand by consumers. The global pet grooming services market size was valued at $6.9 billion in 2024, Grand View Research reported, and it is expected to grow from a projected $7.7 billion this year to $10.3 billion by 2030. Those statistics reflect a compound annual growth rate of 7.3% from 2025 to 2030, according to Grand View. The market research and consulting company also noted that North America possesses the largest segment of the pet grooming market with 40% of the total.
