#StartupsEverywhere: Los Angeles, Calif.
#StartupsEverywhere: Terry James, CEO & Co-founder, Offleash’d
This profile is part of #StartupsEverywhere, an ongoing series highlighting startup leaders in ecosystems across the country. This interview has been edited for length, content, and clarity.
Paws, Platforms, and Policy
Offleash’d, a Los Angeles, CA area-based startup, is building a social ecosystem to bridge the gap between digital connection and physical community for pet parents. Since its launch in 2022, Offleash’d has rolled out its proprietary AI companion and added hyper-local features. We spoke with Terry James, CEO & Co-founder, about scaling responsible content moderation, introducing their AI agent “EVE,” the unique pet-parent demographic, and advocacy for policy changes to make pet parenthood more accessible.
Tell us about your background. What led you to Offleash’d?
The true origin story of Offleash’d goes back to my childhood as a "latchkey kid," in Las Vegas when my dog, Jumbo, provided the first sense of safety and security when I walked through the door after school. Following a career in finance and real estate development, the pandemic became the final catalyst for the company. With the massive rise in pet ownership, alongside a growing "epidemic of loneliness," it became clear that pets are the ultimate binding force. Offleash’d was built to organically bring people together through that shared love, ensuring every family has the tools to make pets a central part of their lives.
What work are you doing at Offleash’d?
Initially, the platform was a swiping dating app for 18+ Millennials and Gen-Z pet owners, but there was a massive opportunity to amplify its impact by opening it to a broader community. Now, users can find hyper-local "play dates," join breed-specific groups, and attend "Yappy Hours" or adoption events. The company is also tackling the "three pillars" of pet parenthood: food, financial, and housing security. This includes launching Nibble and Wag, which offer affordable, human-grade dehydrated dog food. Families no longer have to choose between their budget and their pet's health.
How does the technology work?
As part of the Google Cloud for Startups program, Offleash’d used the building blocks of Gemini to create a proprietary AI agent, EVE. The team leveraged the large language model’s broad capabilities and fine-tuned it into a specialized experience by training it exclusively on pet-related information. EVE also integrates user-provided data to create a seamless, interoperable experience. Whether a user is traveling and needs a local dog park or needs immediate advice because a pet ate something toxic, EVE provides a curated, real-time response.
As a social networking app, how do you approach content moderation and user safety?
Safety is a non-negotiable priority. I made creating a healthy environment where families feel safe to join, a foundational requirement. Offleash’d learned from the challenges of previous social and dating apps by putting protections in place at the very beginning, before ever releasing a minimum viable product. The development team uses robust tech to filter against explicit images or harmful language on the front end, but technology still needs people to scale. Currently, we have domestic and international teams that moderate content, and we will eventually hire a dedicated Community Safety Manager to focus solely on member safety and implement additional layers of background checks.
How does the pet parent demographic impact the platform's culture?
What makes Offleash’d different from a traditional social app is that the user base naturally self-selects. If someone has gone through a pet adoption or rescued an animal, they have already navigated a level of deep-dive scrutiny similar to that of buying a house. Because pet parents are accustomed to the rigmarole and paperwork of responsible ownership, they are uniquely comfortable with the high bar for identity and age verification required by the app. All users agree to clear safety standards and a "three-strike rule" on the front end to keep the social space healthy.
Are there any local, state, or federal startup issues that you think should receive more attention from policymakers?
Pet ownership should be recognized as a public health benefit; having a pet can extend life and reduce stress, creating a direct crossover to community health. There is a need for stronger advocacy for fair housing laws regarding pets, particularly in apartment housing, to make it easier for people to be pet parents regardless of socioeconomic status. We also need more financial transparency in the veterinary world, so families aren't forced to make life-altering decisions for their pets based solely on a lack of clear cost information. Solving the barriers of food and housing accessibility and financial insecurity allows more families to be matched with the millions of pets currently in shelters.
What are your goals for Offleash’d moving forward?
The goal is for Offleash’d to be the brand associated with the modern pet lifestyle. The company is currently raising capital to expand its "boots on the ground" presence in cities such as Austin, Nashville, and Atlanta. The most rewarding part of the work is watching people who might never have had a conversation otherwise connect at a dog park because they love their pets the same way. Pets don't see color or socioeconomic status; they just see and feel love. The mission is to spread that way of viewing the world across the country, using pets as the key cornerstone for authentic connection and healing.
All of the information in this profile was accurate at the date and time of publication.
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