Chelsea Brownridge

Post-pitch story

Chelsea Brownridge pitched DogSpot — originally called Dog Parker — as the answer to a problem every dog owner knows: what to do with your dog when you need to run into a store. Her solution was a network of app-controlled, climate-controlled smart dog houses that sit outside shops, and she walked away with $100,000 from investor Charles Hudson. After the show, DogSpot expanded beyond New York, launching in Seattle and Portland in 2019 through a partnership with QFC grocery stores, and the high-tech kennels got genuine press attention. But hardware networks are expensive to build and maintain, and the pandemic's collapse of foot traffic couldn't have helped. DogSpot is now listed as out of business. Brownridge has stayed in tech — she's a Client Partner at Headstart AI. The pitch remains one of the season's most memorable, and the question it asked — why can't cities be more dog-friendly? — is still waiting for someone to answer it at scale.