IDG Connect Airbnb for dogs: A big data & machine learning approach to pet-sitting

An'Airbnb of dog sitting and walking', Rover.com is available in the US and offers a more affordable and flexible option than traditional services like kennels. But matching local pet owners with appropriate sitters is a surprisingly complex big data challenge, which is where the developers and data scientists that create and test Rover.com's Founded in 2011 by Greg Gottesman (Founder and Board Member) and Philip Kimmey (Co-Founder and Director of Software Development), "Rover.com is a dog lover's other best friend -- second only, of course, to your dog," says the website. When his nine-year-old daughter said she would have actually paid to take care of someone else's dog, Gottesman saw a business. He and his team, including Phillip Kimmey, pitched the idea for Rover.com at the 2011 Startup Weekend in Seattle and won top prize.