RetrievAir

Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business Kelley Direct Online MBA

Industry: Pet, Travel, Air Transportation

MBA Founding Student Name(s): Benton Miller

Brief Description of Solution: RetrievAir is entirely dedicated to creating a seamless, safe, and joyful air travel experience centered around pets and their families. Unlike traditional airlines that treat pets as an afterthought—often placing them in cargo or restricting their presence—our airline gives pets their own seat, ensuring they can fly comfortably right next to their family. We’re reframing how pets see your suitcase by enabling pet parents to take their furry friends with them on their next adventure. Every part of the journey is pet-friendly from our simple booking process, stress-free security at private-like airports, 30-seater planes configured to ensure maximum leg/lay room, and in-flight amenities for pets and their families to enjoy. RetrievAir is a pet airline created by pet parents for pet parents who want to take their pets with them on their next adventure.

Funding Dollars: $650K of a pre-seed funding round of $1.5M

What led you to launch this venture? As a pet parent, I understand firsthand the challenges of traveling with pets. We’ve felt the frustration of having to leave our dogs behind or rearranging our plans to bring them along. Like many others, we’ve navigated the confusing rules of commercial airlines and, more than once, driven 17 hours one-way just to avoid putting our dogs in cargo, where they simply don’t belong. This experience of modifying travel schedules, skipping trips, and constantly worrying about our pets has shown me just how difficult it can be to travel with them.

After years of this struggle, I knew I could create a better way. Since childhood, I’ve dreamed of starting my own business, and these challenges have given me the drive to create a solution so when I was accepted into the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, I knew I wanted to learn how to create, launch, and successfully grow RetrievAir into a purposeful business that makes pet adventures simple, safe, and stress-free. The Kelley School of Business gave the structure, skills, and connections to take my pain points and ideas and help me launch it into a company.

What has been your biggest accomplishment so far with venture? My biggest accomplishment so far is building an incredible team of people who are deeply passionate about RetrieveAir and bring essential skills to the table. My co-founder helped launch and successfully exit his own airline, while others on our leadership team have founded and exited their own pet care companies, bringing valuable expertise in brand-building and customer experience. Our well-rounded team not only understands our customers’ pain points, but also has a genuine drive to create meaningful solutions. Cultivating this team took time, but together we’ve built a strong foundation for RetrieveAir’s success. I could not be where I am today without them!

What has been the most significant challenge you’ve faced in creating your company and how did you solve it? Our most significant challenge so far has been finding a cost-effective way to break into the airline industry, which has high entry barriers, significant upfront costs, and stringent regulations. This makes it incredibly difficult for startups to get off the ground. After extensive research into the regulations and careful consideration of how to solve our customers’ pain points simply and effectively, we found a unique way to enter the market with minimal overhead and the agility to serve our customers as well. This was a pivotal moment in our journey, as it allowed us to reduce risk, secure funding, and position ourselves to compete and succeed.

How has your MBA program helped you further this startup venture? The Kelley MBA program played a pivotal role in laying the foundation for RetrievAir, equipping me with the skills to develop the business and test its viability through pitches to investors in Silicon Valley. Throughout the program, I gained tools to refine our business model, ensuring we address our customers’ biggest pain points as simply as possible.

I learned how to build a comprehensive business plan from scratch, but the most influential experience was the Silicon Valley Venture Challenge. This class taught me how to craft a compelling business case, conduct in-depth market research, establish market differentiation, and create an impactful pitch deck. I then had the opportunity to pitch to potential investors at Plug and Play in Silicon Valley, where I received invaluable feedback and gained mentors who still support me today. Dr. Don Kuratko and this class not only allowed me to apply what I learned but also helped me build a strong network of entrepreneurs.

What founder or entrepreneur inspired you to start your own entrepreneurial journey? How did he or she prove motivational to you? My answer to this question might be a bit different. My father is my greatest motivator, profoundly inspiring my entrepreneurial journey. While he wasn’t an entrepreneur himself, he led large organizations and often shared his process for making tough decisions, giving me a firsthand look at what true leadership entails. From him, I learned invaluable lessons: be a lifelong learner, cultivate active curiosity, prioritize developing people over simply driving metrics, and (above all) bet on myself and do the right thing. His guidance has been the foundation for everything I do.

When I was accepted into the Kelley School of Business, he offered to help me develop a business plan for my idea. Sadly, he passed away suddenly halfway through my first quarter, before we could dive into it together. After his passing, I knew I had to bring RetrievAir to life. I carry his values with me every day, honoring him by taking this leap into entrepreneurship. I’m driven to launch RetrievAir, harnessing the skills he instilled in me to fill a meaningful gap in the market and create something that reflects his legacy.

Which MBA class has been most valuable in building your startup and what was the biggest lesson you gained from it? The “Silicon Valley Venture Challenge” course was the most valuable class for building my startup. I gained many key insights, but the most important lesson was the value of genuine market feedback—it’s essential for a startup’s success. A strong business plan and a successful launch depend heavily on feedback that guides you to the right solution. From there, it’s about building a company that can deliver that solution effectively and positioning it strategically within the market.

What professor made a significant contribution to your plans and why? Dr. Donald F. Kuratko has made the most significant impact on both my personal growth and my business plans. As the professor for the Silicon Valley Venture Challenge, he coached and challenged me to keep refining my business plan into something truly market-ready. His mentorship also gave me the last boost of confidence I needed to take the leap into entrepreneurship. One of the greatest contributions he made was inviting me back to Silicon Valley after graduation to introduce me to VCs within his personal network. To this day, I’m incredibly grateful for his introductions and ongoing support.

How has your local startup ecosystem contributed to your venture’s development and success?
Currently, I don’t have much access to a local startup ecosystem here in Minnesota. However, I’ve been able to stay connected with entrepreneurs I met at Kelley and in Silicon Valley. Learning from their experiences and understanding the mistakes they’ve made has been invaluable in helping me make better decisions for RetrievAir’s path forward. I recently joined a group of fellow founders, where we meet monthly to share insights, tackle challenges, and grow together. Huge shoutout to my IU Entrepreneur group – Emily Mirro, Michelle Braun, and Sumaya Abdurrezak!

What is your long-term goal with your startup?  My long-term goal is to create a new segment in the travel industry dedicated to pet travel, making it a normalized part of our experiences as pet parents. I want to enable more pet owners to strengthen their bonds by bringing their pets on adventures. Once we’ve achieved this vision, I would love to see a successful exit to a company that shares our commitment to a better world for pets and can carry this mission forward.

Looking back, what is the biggest lesson you wished you’d known before launching and scaling your venture?  Keep moving forward. At the end of the day, there will always be other companies working toward similar goals, regardless of your idea. You’re constantly competing, so while it’s important to make informed decisions, don’t let the pursuit of perfection hold back your progress.

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