The word from Lassie as they enter the UK pet insurance market;
Over 20 million dogs and cats in the UK lack pet insurance, while millions of owners are uncertain about exactly what their policy covers. To solve these issues, Lassie (www.lassie.co), the Swedish pet health pioneer trusted by the owners of more than 300,000 dogs and cats in Sweden, Germany and France, has launched in the UK, introducing British cat and dog lovers to the world’s first preventative pet insurance ecosystem. Combining AI-native claims handling, personalised preventative care and comprehensive insurance in a single app, Lassie’s system completes over 60% of claims in around six minutes from start to finish.
Lassie was co-founded in Stockholm in 2020 by CEO Hedda Båverud Olsson, who grew up watching her veterinarian mother becoming frustrated by treating pets only after preventable or manageable conditions had progressed into more serious illnesses requiring more complex and expensive care. Alongside Hedda, Lassie was co-founded by pet insurance industry veteran Sophie Wilkinson, COO and former Spotify developer Johan Jönsson CTO, pairing deep expertise in veterinary care, insurance and technology. The three co-founders set out to flip the traditional pet insurance model on its head, rewarding prevention instead of only paying out after something goes wrong. As the company continues to expand, Lassie’s UK launch is being led by newly appointed Country Lead Andy Tomlinson, who brings experience building and scaling consumer brands, including leadership roles at leading UK short-term car insurance app Cuvva.
While an estimated 40% of pet injuries are considered preventable, traditional insurers typically only engage after an animal has become sick or injured, even though many of the most common claims could be avoided through better education, earlier intervention, and ongoing owner engagement. Rather than waiting until a pet becomes ill or injured, Lassie, one of Sweden’s most-loved startups, uses AI, behavioural science, gamification and tailored guidance to help UK dog and cat owners prevent problems before they arise. The platform delivers week-by-week programmes tailored to each pet’s age, breed and stage of life, instead of offering generic advice. A new puppy owner, for example, receives timely guidance on training, nutrition, socialisation and vaccination reminders precisely when milestones arise.
British pet owners can now access more than 200 bite-sized educational courses covering health, behaviour, nutrition and preventative care, watch expert videos and earn points for completing activities that help keep their pets healthy. Those points translate into tangible rewards, including lower insurance premiums, discounts and loyalty benefits, encouraging proactive care every day.
The Lassie platform integrates GPS pet tracking technology through partnerships with companies such as Tractive, allowing owners to monitor activity levels, take part in exercise challenges and earn additional rewards for maintaining healthy routines. Customers who take out Lassie insurance can opt to receive a complimentary Tractive GPS tracker, making it easier to keep pets safe and support their health and wellbeing.
AI sits at the heart of Lassie, powering both its personalised pet health companion that delivers tailored guidance throughout each pet’s life and near-instant claims process. UK customers simply photograph their veterinary receipt in the app, with the majority of claims completed in just minutes, often allowing owners to be reimbursed before they even leave the veterinary clinic.
The app is available to all UK pet owners, whether or not they choose Lassie insurance, while those who do can manage their cover in the same place. Lassie’s approach mirrors a wider shift already seen in human health insurance, where providers including Vitality and YuLife reward healthy behaviours and focus on prevention rather than treatment.
Hedda Båverud Olsson, CEO and Co-founder of Lassie, says: “The British are famous for being a nation of animal lovers, and we believe Lassie will prove a must-have for UK pet owners who want their pets to benefit from the same shift towards preventative, personalised care that has already transformed human health insurance. Every UK pet owner knows that feeling: the panic of an unexpected vet bill, or the sinking realisation that their policy doesn’t cover what they thought it did. We love our pets like family, but pet insurance hasn’t kept pace with the way we care for them. We started Lassie because we believe pet insurance should do more than simply pay claims. By combining a pet wellbeing platform with comprehensive insurance, we’re helping pet parents prevent problems before they start, while giving them the confidence they’ll be protected if the unexpected happens. We’ve already seen our approach transform the lives of more than 300,000 dogs and cats and their owners across Sweden, Germany and France, and are excited to bring this same preventative approach to benefit pet owners across Britain.”
In February 2026, the company raised $75 million in a Series C funding round led by investors including London’s Balderton Capital, Felix Capital, Inventure, Passion Capital and Stena Sessan, bringing total funding to $115 million. Since launching in 2020, Lassie has protected more than 300,000 animals across Sweden, Germany and France, generating more than €100 million in annual recurring revenue. In June 2026, Lassie was selected by Balderton Capital to feature in its Europe-wide “Built in Europe” billboard campaign alongside other trailblazing British and European companies including Revolut, Mistral AI, Wayve, Synthesia and ElevenLabs.
Closing The UK’s Pet Insurance Gap More than 20 million dogs and cats in the UK currently have no insurance, with only around a quarter of dogs and approximately one in eight cats covered by a policy, making the UK one of Europe’s least penetrated major pet insurance markets. For owners who have never considered traditional pet insurance, Lassie offers a fundamentally different proposition centred on prevention rather than simply paying claims.
Even among insured owners, understanding of cover remains low. Many pet owners struggle to correctly identify the type of cover they hold, and this lack of clarity is reflected in regulatory outcomes: 52% of pet insurance complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service are upheld, the highest rate of any general insurance category. As veterinary fees rise and products become increasingly complex, the industry’s ability to help customers understand their cover has never been more important. The result is a growing appetite for the unique approach to pet insurance that Lassie is offering: one that helps owners prevent problems, not simply cover the cost when something goes wrong. The global pet insurance market is forecast to reach around $80 billion by 2033, while the wider pet care market is expected to exceed $428 billion by 2032 as owners continue investing more heavily in their animals’ health and wellbeing. Lassie occupies the intersection of these trends: combining insurance, preventative healthcare, AI and consumer technology within a single platform.
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