About The Pet Sitter
Building the pet care platform that sitters deserve.
Graeme Rycyk
Founder & CEO
Why I built The Pet Sitter
As the former CTO of Pawshake, one of Europe's largest pet sitting marketplaces, I spent years building technology that connected pet owners with sitters. I saw the platform grow from under $3M to over $5M in gross merchandise value. But I also saw something that troubled me.
Every platform in this space takes 15-20% of what sitters earn. For a sitter charging $50/night for boarding, that's $10 per booking going to the platform — not for providing insurance, not for customer support, but simply for the introduction.
After selling ModerateKit, the trust & safety platform I built, to Gainsight, I had the expertise and the motivation to fix this. The Pet Sitter is built on a simple belief: the people doing the actual work should keep the money they earn.
Previous Role
CTO of Pawshake
Exit
ModerateKit → Gainsight
The Problem with 20% Commission
Here's what 20% commission actually costs sitters every year.
The maths don't lie
A sitter earns
$2,000
per month
Platform takes
-$400
20% commission
Lost per year
-$4,800
per year
That's $4,800 a year taken from sitters who are already doing all the work. We built The Pet Sitter to change that — sitters pay a flat subscription and keep every dollar they earn.
Our Mission
Make pet care fair for sitters and affordable for owners. We charge sitters a flat monthly subscription and take 0% commission. Owners pay nothing.
Fair for Sitters
Sitters keep 100% of what they earn. Our flat subscription model means success is never penalised.
Free for Owners
Pet owners pay nothing to use The Pet Sitter. You pay the sitter directly for their service.
Truly Local
We connect you with sitters in your actual neighbourhood, not just your city. Local care matters.
Meet the Team
The Pet Sitter was built by marketplace and trust & safety experts.
Graeme Rycyk
Founder & CEO
Former CTO of Pawshake. Built and sold ModerateKit (trust & safety platform) to Gainsight. Deep expertise in two-sided marketplaces, AI-powered moderation, and programmatic SEO.
Join us in making pet care fair
Whether you're a pet owner or a sitter, there's a place for you here.