We’re flipping the script…. again! After 2024’s sold out success it’s the return of the reverse pitch!
40+ investors, each with a dynamic two-minute pitch detailing their investment criteria, category preferences, stage of interest and what they look for in potential partners.
Following this reverse pitch the meeting scheduler will open to pre-book the afternoons 1-2-1 meetings.
Taking the guess work out of meetings so you can connect smarter and faster. Get ready, get comfortable and let the pitching begin!
Investment Opportunities
Scaling Smarter
Andrew Poley
Vice President
San Francisco Equity Partners
Anna Skya
Founder & CEO/Partner
BasePaws/Ani.VC
Buff Greebe
Executive Director
SKU
Chuck Johnson
Angel Investor
VANE
Dace Graham
Founder Managing Partner
1731MGMT
Natalie Marks
Chief Executive Officer
VANE
Dr. Natalie Marks is a small animal veterinarian with over twenty years of clinical experience. She owned the largest animal hospital in Chicago. More recently, she has been the founder and president of MarksDVMConsulting, an educational and strategy consulting firm working with companies of all stages nationally and internationally. She is also on the Executive Committee of VANE, the premier veterinary angel network investor group. VANE currently has 28 portfolio companies and provides direction, connection, and funding to start-ups in the animal health space.
Robert Diamond
Limited Partner
Venrex Investment Management
Robert is a successful entrepreneur with a track record of creating value from customer data.
Robert is the co-owner and CEO of identicare, the UK’s largest pet microchip registration and pet protection services provider. Identi offers recurring-revenue subscription services to over 4 Million pet owners. In Feb 2024 Robert bought out his joint venture partner (Animalcare PLC) with backing from Bridgepoint Group, one of the UK’s leading private asset investors, in a transaction valued at £30 Million.
At the same time Robert continues to oversee Fernbrook Partners, a private portfolio covering early-stage technology and lifestyle investments and commercial property acquisition, development and leasing.
From 2011 - 2017 Robert helped the acquisition, turnaround and successful sale of RAC, the world’s oldest motoring organisation. In his executive role as Managing Director Motoring Services, he oversaw the data assets of RAC’s 8.2 Million members and also ran six data / digital businesses. He was actively involved in the post-acquisition integration of RAC by Carlyle Private Equity and subsequent exit to GIC Singapore in 2014 and CVC Partners in 2015.
Prior to this, in 2001 Robert founded what became emnos - the leading provider of ‘customer centric’ services and decision-support tools. Clients included top retailers (Target, Walgreens, Morrisons, Waitrose, Boots, Co-operative Group) and their FMCG suppliers. The business was sold to Palamon Private Equity in 2007 and sold on to American Express in 2011.
Robert spent the previous 13 years in marketing and sales roles in the consumer and retail industries.
Robert is an elected member and former board director of the Young Presidents Organisation and regular media contributor (and TED talker) on the use of customer data. He lives in the UK with his wife and four children.
Max Pluss
Principal
Rhea Capital Management
A candid look at the pet industries funding gaps: why early-stage capital is scarce, where investors are placing bets, and how founders are getting creative with capital.
From tapping into angel investors and leveraging crowdfunding platforms to forging creative partnerships, this solutions-oriented session offers founders practical advice for navigating todays funding maze.
Investment Opportunities
Scaling Smarter
Moderator
Natalie Marks
Chief Executive Officer
VANE
Dr. Natalie Marks is a small animal veterinarian with over twenty years of clinical experience. She owned the largest animal hospital in Chicago. More recently, she has been the founder and president of MarksDVMConsulting, an educational and strategy consulting firm working with companies of all stages nationally and internationally. She is also on the Executive Committee of VANE, the premier veterinary angel network investor group. VANE currently has 28 portfolio companies and provides direction, connection, and funding to start-ups in the animal health space.
Panelists
Dace Graham
Founder Managing Partner
1731MGMT
A practical crash course on where the pet industry is headed — and how to play it, tailored for start-ups and investors ready to win.
Cut through the noise with key trends, quirks, risks, and opportunities shaping success in 2030 and ensure understanding of the environment you’re scaling in.
The essential guide for building or backing tomorrow’s pet businesses.
Trends & Industry Overviews
Investment Opportunities
Scaling Smarter
A welcome from our team to yours.
Poppy Howard-Wall
Event Producer
Pet Connect
Poppy Howard-Wall
Event Producer
Pet Connect
Collect your credentials. It’s time to shape the future of pet business.
Badari Kommandur
Fellow
Cadence
Laurent Moll
Chief Operating Officer
Arteris
Dr. Laurent Moll most recently served as Vice President of Engineering at Qualcomm where he led a 500-person team creating infrastructure IP for Qualcomm’s chips, including NoC interconnects, memory subsystems, cache coherency subsystems and more. Laurent has led a storied career for over two decades, performing key technical roles at industry leaders such as Digital Equipment Corporation, Compaq Computer Corporation, SiByte, Broadcom, Montalvo Systems and NVIDIA. Prior to his nearly 8-year tenure at Qualcomm, he was the Chief Technology Officer at Arteris Inc, a predecessor company of Arteris. Throughout his career, he has played an influential role in inventing the system-on-chip architectures, IP subsystems, and methodologies that are today the foundation of modern semiconductor design. Laurent earned his PhD in Computer Science at École Polytechnique and holds over 60 patents on various aspects of SoC technology.
Steve Garlock
Partner
Thompson Coburn