The future of pet adoption is being built right now.
Pet Adoption Is Broken
Every year, millions of incredible pets only have hours to be adopted or wait weeks or months in shelters while potential adopters struggle to find their perfect match. The current system fails everyone involved, from overwhelmed shelter staff to frustrated adopters to the pets who need homes most.
Inconsistent Listings
Pet profiles vary wildly in quality and detail, making it difficult for adopters to make informed decisions.
Overwhelmed Shelters
Understaffed and exhausted teams spend countless hours manually creating profiles and managing applications.
Poor Visibility
Amazing pets are overlooked simply because their listings don't stand out or reach the right people.
6.3M
Pets Enter Shelters
Annually across the US
920K
Are Euthanized
Despite Being Adoptable
8+
Hours per week
Staff spend writing listings manually
OUR FOUNDER
Ashley Koll, Founder of Gotcha + her former foster Strudel
Built by someone who’s lived it, not just observed it.
A note from our founder:
I’ve always known I wanted to work with animals.
Rescue has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I started volunteering at shelters in middle school, literally forcing my parents to take me every week, because I just wanted to help.
But it wasn’t until I finally started fostering that everything really clicked. It opened my eyes in a way nothing else had.
As a foster, I found myself constantly frustrated. Dogs weren’t getting listed fast enough. The platforms we relied on would crash. Weeks would go by before a dog I was caring for was even visible to potential adopters. And in rescue, time is everything, because every delay means another dog that can’t be pulled, another life at risk.
I started to see the bigger problem.
The entire adoption journey is fragmented. Shelters, fosters, adopters, donors, they’re all trying to work together, but there’s no seamless system connecting them.
What if shelters could easily request fosters instead of pleading on social media?
What if funding was built into the system instead of relying on Venmo comments?
What if every step, from intake to adoption, actually worked together?
More pets would be saved. It’s that simple.
I’ve lived every side of this.
I’ve worked in veterinary medicine.
I’ve worked in software.
I’ve built in the pet space through Lemon Collaborative.
I co-founded a non profit to bring free veterinary care to those who need it most.
I’ve volunteered in rescue.
I’m a foster mom.
I’m the one posting, begging, trying to get animals seen in time.
And I have three rescue dogs of my own.
Gotcha started because I couldn’t ignore this problem anymore.
I’ve seen it. I’ve lived it. And I knew I was the right person to fix it.
This isn’t just a business, it’s the moment everything I’ve done has been building toward.
We’re going to fix what’s broken in rescue.
And we’re going to save more lives because of it.
Hi! We are so happy you are here!
Gotcha is a modern adoption platform designed to fix what’s broken in rescue.
Right now, adoption is slow, fragmented, and overwhelming, for both rescues and adopters.
We’re changing that.
No outdated systems, just easier to use built for you by someone that is you. There is one thing we want to do and that is prevent animals from being euthanized because they weren’t seen in time.
Be part of the first version of Gotcha
We’re opening early access to a small group of people who want to help shape the future of adoption.
If that’s you — we want you in this.
We need help from:
- People who have adopted rescue pet in the past
- People who have never adopted a pet before
- Fosters
- Rescue/Shelter Admins
- People who volunteer and list pets for rescues
- Foster Coordinators
- Adoption Coordinators
And if you think you can help in any way, please reach out!
Where we are at.
We are currently working on our MVP and branding. Our next step is getting testers to help us smooth out any bumps before the product is released to the public.
Some of Ashley’s former fosters.
