SeatMate Pet Office Chair with Access Ramp

Key numbers

The product

The SeatMate Pet Office Chair is a compact, elevated seat built on a sturdy metal frame so small dogs and cats can sit beside their owner at work. A built-in, anti-slip ramp angled at 23 degrees folds and slides halfway under the seat when not in use, letting older or mobility-limited pets climb without jumping. The machine-washable seat cushion and scratch-resistant boucle or faux-fur fabric keep the chair clean and durable. Soft rubber wheels and anti-slip feet protect floors, and the design supports pets up to about 50 pounds. It launched at a discounted pre-order price near $235.

How they did it

Andrew Mueller lost his job at AWS in 2022 and returned to his father's tool shop in Missouri to prototype a chair that would let his dog sit beside him while he worked. Working with industrial designer Jake Singer, he developed the world's first pet office chair, testing three rounds of prototypes for comfort and safety. The product launched on Kickstarter in 2024 and raised $488,623 from 1,696 backers, more than 48 times its goal, while a viral Instagram strategy grew its audience from 1,000 to over 18,000 followers. SeatMate reported reaching more than 200 million people on social media before launch. A second campaign for the Split Ottoman Dog Ramp added about $274,000, bringing combined crowdfunding to over $763,000 across roughly 3,000 backers. SeatMate also became one of Kickstarter's first Premier Partners.

Why it worked

• Attacked an emotional niche: pet owners who work from home
• Vet-endorsed ramp design reduced joint strain for small, aging dogs
• Founder's viral Instagram reels drove millions of views before launch
• Two successive Kickstarters proved repeatable demand, not one-off luck