Rashi Narang, founder of Heads Up For Tails, who built a leading Indian pet-care brand around products and services for pets and their owners.
Rashi Narang built Heads Up For Tails from a home business into India’s leading pet-care brand. Explore her journey, funding, growth and strategy.
Written by TFN Research Desk | covering startups, technology, venture capital, and business strategy.
Table of Contents
- Who is Rashi Narang?
- Early Life and Education
- Career Before Heads Up For Tails
- How Heads Up For Tails Started
- Funding History
- Revenue Growth and Recent Developments
- Public Recognition
- Heads Up For Tails vs Competitors
- Investor Perspective
- Founder Timeline
- Key Takeaways
- FAQs
- Sources
- SEO Metadata Block
Who is Rashi Narang?
Rashi Narang is the founder and Creative Director of Heads Up For Tails, an Indian pet-care brand that combines products, retail stores, grooming and other pet-care services. She founded the business in 2008 after struggling to find quality products for her Labrador, Sara. What began as a small home-based business has grown into an omnichannel pet-care company serving customers through its online platform and physical stores.
Early Life and Education
Narang is an alumna of the London School of Economics. Before becoming an entrepreneur, she worked in the corporate sector before deciding to build a business around her experience as a pet parent.
Her transition into entrepreneurship was not based on a conventional market thesis. It began with a personal frustration. The products she found for Sara were often either difficult to source or did not meet the quality and design standards she expected. That gap eventually became the starting point for HUFT.
Career Before Heads Up For Tails
Before founding HUFT, Narang worked in the corporate world. She eventually left that career to pursue entrepreneurship after becoming increasingly interested in the lack of quality pet products available in India.
Her first experiments were highly hands-on. Instead of immediately building a large retail business, she started making products herself and tested them with Sara, family members and other pet parents. The response convinced her that the problem extended beyond her own household.
How Heads Up For Tails Started
Narang founded Heads Up For Tails in 2008. The early business operated from home and focused on products such as pet toys, bedding, clothing and accessories. As demand grew, the company expanded its product range and eventually moved into manufacturing, retail and services.
The company started with two popup kiosks in New Delhi before developing a wider physical retail presence. By 2023, HUFT had grown to more than 80 stores, with many locations also offering grooming and pet-spa services. The company has positioned itself as a broader destination for pet parents rather than simply another online pet-supplies retailer.
That omnichannel strategy became one of Narang’s biggest bets. Customers could discover products online while also experiencing the brand through physical stores and services.
Funding History
| Round | Year | Amount | Lead Investor |
| Early Funding | Before 2021 | Approximately $13 million | Various investors |
| Series A | 2021 | $37 million | Verlinvest, Sequoia Capital India |
| Series B | 2025 | $25 million | Apparel Group India |
HUFT raised $37 million in its Series A round in 2021 from Verlinvest and Sequoia Capital India, with participation from Amitell Capital and existing investor W&C PetTech. The company had previously raised approximately $13 million. In 2025, HUFT closed a reported $25 million Series B led by Apparel Group India, taking total reported capital raised to around $75 million.
Revenue Growth and Recent Developments
| Fiscal Year | Revenue | Net Loss |
| FY24 | ₹199.1 crore | ₹4.6 crore |
| FY25 | ₹236.8 crore | ₹3.3 crore |
HUFT’s FY25 revenue increased 18.9 percent to ₹236.8 crore, while its net loss narrowed to ₹3.3 crore. The numbers suggest that the company is moving toward better operating economics while continuing to expand.
By late 2025 and early 2026, HUFT was also pursuing international expansion, with the Middle East identified as an important growth opportunity. Reports around its Series B funding indicated an annual revenue run rate of around ₹400 crore.
Public Recognition
Narang won the Woman Ahead award at the Economic Times Startup Awards in 2023. The jury highlighted HUFT’s customer focus and offline strategy in a difficult category.
She has also received recognition as a pet entrepreneur and woman entrepreneur. Her story has attracted attention because she spent years building the business before accepting major institutional venture capital.
Heads Up For Tails vs Competitors
| Company | Founded | Positioning |
| Heads Up For Tails | 2008 | Omnichannel pet care and lifestyle |
| Supertails | 2021 | Digital pet care and services |
| Drools | 2010 | Pet nutrition and food |
| Vetic | 2020 | Pet healthcare and veterinary services |
HUFT’s differentiation lies in combining private-label products, third-party brands, physical stores, grooming and pet-care experiences. Competitors tend to focus more heavily on one part of the ecosystem, such as food, veterinary care or digital services.
Investor Perspective
Narang’s biggest advantage is that she built HUFT before India’s current pet-care startup boom. The company was bootstrapped for its first several years, giving her time to understand customers and build a brand before taking institutional capital.
The opportunity is significant as pet ownership and spending on nutrition, grooming and healthcare increase. But the business is also operationally demanding. Retail stores, inventory, manufacturing and grooming services all carry costs that a pure-play digital marketplace does not.
The improving FY25 financials are encouraging, but HUFT now faces a different challenge from its early years. With institutional investors and international ambitions, the company must prove that its premium positioning can scale without losing the customer loyalty that helped build the brand.
Founder Timeline
- Early career: Works in the corporate sector.
- 2008: Founds Heads Up For Tails after identifying a gap in Indian pet products.
- Early years: Builds HUFT as a home-based business.
- Later: Expands into physical retail and manufacturing.
- 2021: Raises $37 million Series A.
- 2023: Wins the Woman Ahead award at the Economic Times Startup Awards.
- 2025: Raises $25 million Series B led by Apparel Group India.
- 2025-2026: Expands its focus toward international markets and broader pet-care services.
Key Takeaways
- Rashi Narang founded Heads Up For Tails in 2008 after struggling to find quality products for her Labrador, Sara.
- HUFT grew from a home-based business into an omnichannel pet-care brand.
- The company combines products, retail, grooming and pet-care services.
- HUFT has raised substantial institutional funding after years of bootstrapped growth.
- Its FY25 revenue reached ₹236.8 crore while its net loss narrowed to ₹3.3 crore.
FAQs
Who founded Heads Up For Tails?
Rashi Narang founded Heads Up For Tails in 2008.
What is Rashi Narang’s current role?
She is the Founder and Creative Director of Heads Up For Tails.
Why did Rashi Narang start HUFT?
She started the company after struggling to find high-quality pet products for her Labrador, Sara.
Where did Rashi Narang study?
She is an alumna of the London School of Economics.
What does Heads Up For Tails do?
HUFT sells pet products and provides services including grooming and pet-care experiences through online and offline channels.
How much funding has HUFT raised?
Reported funding includes approximately $13 million before 2021, a $37 million Series A in 2021 and a $25 million Series B in 2025.
Who invested in Heads Up For Tails?
Its investors include Verlinvest, Sequoia Capital India, Amitell Capital, W&C PetTech and Apparel Group India.
Is Heads Up For Tails profitable?
HUFT remained loss-making in FY25, but its net loss narrowed to ₹3.3 crore.
What is Rashi Narang’s net worth?
Her current personal net worth is not publicly disclosed.
What makes HUFT different?
It combines pet products with physical retail, grooming, private-label products and broader pet-care experiences.
Sources
World Economic Forum, Rashi Narang profile
https://www.wef.org.in/rashi-narang/
Economic Times, Rashi Narang and HUFT
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/
Economic Times Startup Awards, HUFT and Rashi Narang
https://www.etstartupawards.com/2023-winners/
Economic Times, HUFT Series A funding
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/funding/pet-care-brand-heads-up-for-tails-gets-37-million-in-series-a-funding/articleshow/85263913.cms
Moneycontrol, HUFT funding
https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/heads-up-for-tails-raises-37-million-in-funding-from-verlinvest-sequoia-capital-india-others-7321791.html
Inc42, HUFT financials
https://inc42.com/company/heads-up-for-tails/financials/
Indian Retailer, HUFT Series B and expansion
https://www.indianretailer.com/news/heads-tails-final-talks-raise-25-mn-reports-rs-400-cr-arr
Ministry of MSME, Women in MSME Compendium
https://www.msme.gov.in/
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