This week, I pointed my web browser at a site called Rover.com and embarked on one of my least favorite online shopping experiences: searching for someone to look after my quirky, 10-year-old dog while my family is out of town later this year.    

Like other online marketplaces, Rover connects supply (people willing to look after someone else’s pets) with demand (people like me who may never take another vacation in the absence of services like this). There are apparently quite a few of us: In an interview, Rover CEO Aaron Easterly told The Information the company is projecting net revenue of between $90 million and $100 million this year, roughly 40% more than last year. That has helped give Seattle-based Rover a valuation most recently of $925 million, while raising a total of around $318 million.