We at the UCI ANTrepreneur Center are excited to highlight student entrepreneurs and share their personal experiences, achievements, and brilliant insights. We invite you to join us as we celebrate these ANTrepreneurs and get inspired by their stories.
In this interview, Ryan sits down with UC Irvine graduates Yuze Yang (Master of Finance), Jiachen (Gianna) Zhan (Master of Finance), and Alexander (Alex) Cortes (Master of Finance) to learn about their AI pet and lifestyle startup Petch.
Ryan: Ahoy! Thank you all for agreeing to meet with me and share your story. Can you each introduce yourselves?
Yuze: Hi, my name is Yuze Yang, and I’m the founder and CEO of Petch. Petch is an AI-powered pet social and lifestyle platform that helps pet owners connect, play, and grow together with their furry friends. I have a background in finance and entrepreneurship and am passionate about using technology to build meaningful communities and improve the well-being of pets and their humans. I also have experience in early-stage startups, cross-border business development, and strategic planning.
Gianna: My name is Gianna Zhan and I’m the co-founder and COO of Petch. I specialize in early-stage investment strategy, operational execution and growth strategy, and support startups as both COO and CFO across the pet, healthcare, and biotech sectors. My ventures integrate AI with financial analytics and digital platforms to deliver smarter, more scalable solutions.
I have investment banking experience from working at Morgan Stanley, where I developed a foundation in deal structuring, capital raising, and financial modeling. Now, as Vice Chair of the Leading Entrepreneur Alliance, I lead cross-border partnerships and investor relations, helping emerging founders bridge innovation with capital.
Alex: I’m Alex Cortes, co-founder and CTO of Petch. As the lead developer, I oversee the product’s design and technical architecture. I’m passionate about building tools that make people feel more connected and empowered—whether it’s helping underserved users access financial services or designing intuitive digital experiences.
Previously, I built analytics frameworks and led the launch of new credit products at a digital bank, driving cross-functional efforts to shape product strategy. I also have experience in financial operations, pricing, and automation through roles at State Street and Northrop Grumman. Outside of work, I enjoy creative projects in game development and web design.
Ryan: What inspired the idea for Petch, and how did the concept first come to life?
Yuze: The idea for Petch came from my own experience as a pet owner. During the pandemic, I realized how important it was to have a strong bond with my dog, and how much joy and companionship pets bring us. But I also saw how isolating it could feel as a pet owner at times, not knowing where to meet other owners, how to socialize our pets, or find the right products and services. I wanted to build a platform that made it easy and fun for owners to connect, organize activities, and create happy, healthy lives with their pets. That’s how Petch was born—out of a desire to create a community for both pets and their people.
Gianna: When Yuze shared his idea with me, I immediately resonated with it because I’ve experienced the same challenges as a pet owner—wanting to connect with others, but not knowing where to start. We saw an opportunity to create something fun and meaningful that brings people and their pets closer to each other and their community. We named Petch as a play on “Pet-Match.”
Ryan: What problems does Petch address?
Gianna: Petch aims to solve two major problems in the pet community: social isolation and high healthcare costs. Many pet owners struggle to find local playdates, pet-friendly spots, exclusive pet events, or trusted advice—leaving both pets and owners disconnected. Petch solves this by offering a social platform where owners can connect and match based on pet personality, join local meetups, and access fun, community-driven experiences.
At the same time, veterinary care can be expensive and inaccessible. That’s why we’ve built Mochi AI, a 24/7 health chatbot that answers pet health questions instantly. For more in-depth needs, users can access affordable one-on-one consultations with licensed online vets.
To make pet parenting more engaging, we’ve built Bone Quest, a gamified system where users collect points by doing daily pet care tasks, attending events, or meeting up with other owners. Our vision is to create a real-life pet Pokémon GO combined with Monopoly-style gameplay, encouraging owners to explore, connect, and build habits that enrich their pets’ lives.
With this all-in-one app, Petch brings community, care, and convenience to modern pet ownership.
Yuze: Our unique combination of social networking, pet care, gamification, and real-life community building is what sets Petch apart. Many apps just focus on services or social aspects, but we combine both with a fun, rewarding experience that keeps users engaged while meeting real needs.
Ryan: This is such a great combination of ideas! How did you start turning your ideas into a real product?
Yuze: We started by validating the problem with surveys and interviews, talking to hundreds of pet owners to understand their pain points. Then, we built a prototype and tested it in small pet meetups.
Alex: We had a lot of feature ideas early on, so a big challenge was figuring out what really stuck with users and how to make everything work together seamlessly. There was a lot of trial and error, especially balancing utility with simplicity.
Ryan: What were some of the challenges you faced while building Petch, and how did you overcome them?
Alex: From the technical side, one big challenge was managing scope. We had so many ideas, but limited time and resources. We had to learn when to say no and focus on what would really deliver value. Coordinating development with design and user feedback in real time wasn’t easy, but staying agile and prioritizing fast iterations helped us move forward.
Yuze: Adding to Alex’s point, it was also challenging to build a product with limited resources while also gathering enough user feedback. We overcame it by staying scrappy—focusing on the most important features and continuously testing and improving based on early adopter feedback. Another challenge was convincing people to try something new; hosting fun in-person events really helped drive awareness and trust.
Gianna: We also struggled with balancing user expectations with what we could realistically build. We learned to communicate with users honestly and set clear priorities. On the internal operation side, managing a 10-plus person team and keeping everyone aligned and working efficiently was also a challenge. Fortunately, we worked through it and built a strong, collaborative team dynamic.
Ryan: Speaking of user feedback, how has this input shaped the evolution of your app?
Gianna: User feedback has been central to our evolution. For example, we initially focused heavily on event creation, but users told us they also wanted a sense of progress and recognition, so we added gamification with badges and a leaderboard. Listening closely to what users actually want has helped us prioritize features that really resonate.
Alex: User feedback also played a huge role in shaping our UI. We went through several iterations to simplify navigation and make interactions feel more intuitive. One big shift came after testing with early users—small changes in layout and visual hierarchy made a big difference in how people used the app. It really showed us the value of designing with real users in mind.
Ryan: In addition to user feedback, what other resources did you tap into during the development of Petch?
Yuze: The ANTrepreneur Center was a fantastic resource for mentorship, workshops, and networking. They helped us refine our business model and pitch and connected us with alumni and potential advisors. Off campus, we joined pet owner Facebook groups and attended dog park meetups to understand our users and test features in real-life settings.
Gianna: Piggybacking off Yuze, the ANTrepreneur Center gave us a place to brainstorm and connect with other founders, which was helpful throughout our development process. We also received insightful feedback from VCs such as Sunstone and CIE, which helped us refine our product and GTM strategy. We also participated in several pitch competitions to expand our network and gather valuable feedback from both the audience and judges.
Ryan: As you look back over your journey, what key milestones stand out to you?
Alex: A key milestone for me was launching on TestFlight and getting real feedback from early users, which helped us refine the experience.
Yuze: For me, being accepted into the Beta Accelerator program in Silicon Valley and receiving mentorship and resources to refine our business model was a big milestone. Another big moment was getting positive feedback during pitch events, which helped us build momentum and confidence in our vision. The moment we launched our MVP with key features like pet profiles, event discovery, and a community leaderboard was also a standout moment.
Gianna: Organizing our first in-person event was another big milestone because we got to see real dogs and owners having fun together. Another milestone for me was when we reached our first 100 users—it showed that we were solving a real problem.
Ryan: Where are you with Petch now?
Yuze: We’re looking to establish more partnerships with pet businesses, trainers, and event organizers. We welcome more local business partners who want to collaborate on events or promotions.
Gianna: We’d love more advice and mentorship on scaling operations as our user base grows. We’re also open to conversations with investors who are passionate about pets and community-driven platforms.
Ryan: What’s next for Petch—any new features, partnerships, or plans for growth you can share?
Yuze: We’re working on expanding our partnerships with local pet businesses and trainers to offer exclusive deals and expert-led events. We’re also developing AI-driven pet personality matching and insurance recommendation features to make the experience even more personalized. Long-term, we aim to grow our user base beyond Southern California and eventually launch in other pet-loving cities. We’re aiming to become the go-to platform for pet social and lifestyle needs nationwide and to build a sustainable business that enhances the lives of pets and their owners everywhere.
We’re also excited to add more educational content, partner with trainers and groomers to offer workshops, and expand our presence in more neighborhoods. We’re also exploring seasonal campaigns to keep the experience fresh for our users.
Alex: I’m especially excited about our upcoming marketplace to feature partner products and a telehealth option for quick vet consultations. Our goal is to make pet ownership easier, more fun, and more connected.
Ryan: Awesome; I’m excited to watch and root for you as you grow! Thank you all for sitting down with me and sharing your insights. To close this out, what advice would you give to other students who want to follow your lead and are just starting out with their ideas?
Yuze: Start small, and don’t be afraid to test your idea even if it’s not perfect. Feedback is your best teacher. Also, surround yourself with people who believe in you—mentors, peers, and even your users. Entrepreneurship is a long journey, and having a support system makes all the difference.
Learn more about Petch and keep up with the team’s latest news and updates by visiting the Petch website and following them on Instagram: @petchappcom and LinkedIn. Inspired by the Petch team and interested in starting your entrepreneurial journey? Then visit the ANTrepreneur Center website to learn more about programming, speaker series, Micro-Internships, funding, and more. You can also learn more about the Center’s collaborations with Blackstone LaunchPad, Tech Coast Angels, Tech Coast Venture Network, OC Startup Council, and SoCal Celebrates Entrepreneurship. Keep up with the Center’s latest news by following them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.