LA GRANGE, IL – Paresh Sharma, a La Grange resident and solo software engineer, has launched Viveture, a pet-sitting and dog-walking app built to fix problems he ran into as a longtime user of larger platforms like Rover.
The idea started with his own dog, Buddy, an American cocker spaniel. When Sharma tried to cancel a pending sitting request on Rover after his plans changed, he found there was no way to cancel it himself. He ended up messaging 20 sitters individually, apologizing that the job was no longer available.
"That stuck with me," Sharma said. "I'm a software engineer. Adding a cancel button isn't hard. It felt like a choice, not an oversight."
After talking to more pet owners and sitters, Sharma said he heard the same frustrations again and again: confusing fees, policies that penalize sitters for building direct relationships with clients, and commission structures that let sitters pay more for better placement in search results.
Viveture takes a different approach. Sitters keep 100 percent of what they earn, with no commission taken by the platform. Every sitter must pass a background check before they can be listed. Search results are ranked by ratings, not by sitter rates.
The app recently added a two-sided review system, where both the sitter and pet owner submit their reviews privately and the reviews only publish once both sides have submitted, so neither person can see the other's review first and shape their own around it. It is to increase transparency. The feature was submitted for Apple's App Store Enhancements nomination.
Sharma built the entire platform himself over about 18 months of evenings and weekends, with no outside funding or development team. The app is currently free to use while the network grows.
Viveture is live now on the App Store and Google Play:
Website: viveture.com
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