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Aaron Schacht
CEOBiomEdit -
Linda Rhodes
VMD, PhD, Independent and ex-CSOIndependent Animal HealthDr. Rhodes has over 30 years of accomplishments in human and animal drug discovery, development, biomedical research, and clinical veterinary medicine.
Dr. Rhodes was educated at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (VMD) and Cornell University (PhD). She has an extensive background in physiology, veterinary medicine, and drug development, and many publications in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Rhodes practiced clinical veterinary medicine for five years, with experience in both companion and farm animal practice. As a senior research fellow at Merck Research Laboratories for 8 years, she led pre-clinical biology evaluation of several marketed human drugs. She worked for Merial Ltd. as director of large animal development projects, leading project teams developing novel compounds for a variety of indications. In April 2001, she formed AlcheraBio, a consulting, marketing, and contract research firm specializing in developing new drugs for animals, working with biotechnology and animal health companies world-wide. AlcheraBio was acquired in 2008 by Argenta, and Dr. Rhodes served as executive vice president to transition the company when in 2011, she accepted a position as CEO of Aratana Therapeutics, a startup company developing innovative new medicines for dogs and cats. Subsequently, when the company became public she served as its Chief Scientific Officer. During her 5-year tenure, the company achieved FDA approval of three new pet therapeutics: Galliprant, Nocita and Entyce. She is currently retired and an independent consultant. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Zoetis, and serves on the Scientific Advisory Boards of the Alliance for Contraception in Dogs and Cats and the Michelson Found Animals Foundation. She founded Feather in Her Cap, a non-profit that recognizes the achievement of women in the animal health industry. She is the recipient of the Iron Paw Award.
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Lisa Lee
SVP, Petcare, Corporate & IndependentZoetis -
Richard Goldstein
SVP, Global Chief Medical OfficerZoetis -
Tyre Grant
VP Global Product DevelopmentElanco -
Dr. Cherice Roth
Chief Veterinary Officer, Digital Pet HealthMars Veterinary Health -
Cynthia Cole
Technical PartnerDigitalis Ventures -
Julia Stephanus
PartnerBorealis VenturesJulia has been a visionary entrepreneur and strategic brand builder in the veterinary industry for 30+ years. Her achievements include building and scaling two successful start-up veterinary pharmaceutical businesses and launching 28 veterinary products. She was Founder and CEO of Summit VetPharm, which exited to Ceva Animal Health in 2010. As Chief Commercial Officer of Aratana Therapeutics (PETX), she was instrumental in the IPO and the buildout of a fully integrated commercial organization. Julia led the co-promotion and the licensing of Aratana’s lead osteoarthritis product, Galliprant®, to Elanco. Aratana exited to Elanco in 2019.
Julia is Founder and President of Avviare, LLC, providing consulting services to start-ups and established players in veterinary biopharmaceuticals. In addition to the start-up experience, Julia’s career includes senior-level positions at Ceva, Forest Laboratories (Allergan) and Pfizer Animal Health (Zoetis) and their legacy companies.
Julia presently serves on the Boards of PBI Gordon, ReduxBio, and Jenga Biosciences. Julia is a Founding Director and Board Member of Feather in Her Cap, recognizing outstanding women in Animal Health.
Julia received her Bachelor of Arts from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, with additional education at the Wharton School of Business, Columbia University, the University of Chicago, and Harvard University.
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Brett Wong
PrincipalAnterra Capital -
Andrew McKenzie
CEOPrecision Livestock Technologies -
Matthias Hofer
Managing PartnerStonehaven Cozmix GroupMatthias Hofer is the Managing Partner at Stonehaven Consulting AG with over 15 years of experience in Animal Health. He served on the executive committees of two major Animal Health companies for a total of 7 years. Between 2009 and 2013 he led the global Aqua Health business at Novartis Animal Health (NAH). Later on, he was Global Leader Emerging Business at Elanco and a member of Elanco’s global executive committee. During 2014 and with Elanco’s intention to buy NAH, Matthias served as overall pre-merger integration leader on the Novartis side. In that role, Matthias led a large team and efforts to prepare integration pre-closing overall including carve-out preparations of operations linked to Novartis.
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Jason Scott
Founder & Managing Partner525 Ventures -
Neal Fishman
CTO of Data-Based PathologyIBM -
Garth Jordan
CEOAmerican Animal Hospital Association -
Gerardo Bluske
CEO & Co-FounderByBugGerardo is an Industrial Engineer with a master’s degree in Business Management. After eight years of experience in various multinational companies, he leveraged his expertise to create a high-impact venture revolutionizing feed and biotherapeutics manufacturing.
ByBug empowers companies to enhance animal health through customized feed solutions. The company has developed an innovative biomanufacturing platform that utilizes the Black Soldier Fly (BSF) as a natural bioreactor to produce recombinant proteins—such as immunostimulants, peptides, and antibodies—directly within insect meal.
ByBug specializes in engineering these strains and licensing the technology to insect breeders. The breeders use the strains to produce enriched insect meal, which is incorporated into animal feed as a nutritional and health-enhancing additive, delivering value throughout the supply chain.
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Ashley Pochick
VP Supplier RelationsInventory Ally -
Dr Eve Hanks
Chief Executive Officer & FounderMI:RNA Diagnostics -
Jeffrey Emmons
VP Venture and GrowthEmil Capital Partners -
Meaghan Gilhooly
VP Veterinary AffairsBanfield Pet Hospitals -
Linda Block
InvestorImpactology Partners -
Chad Terrell
Head of Business DevelopmentStonehaven Cozmix Group -
Mathieu Glassman
Founder & CEODr Cuddles -
Valerie Bertle
General PartnerYellow Rocks Capital -
Dace Graham
Founder & Managing Partner1731 MGMT -
Charles Tapp
Founder & Managing PartnerVetted Capital -
Sam Razor
Executive ChairmanParasight Systems -
Arjun Ganesan
CEOAncera -
Dr Lenore Bacek, DVM
VP Clinical AffairsBlue Pearl Specialty & Emergency Pet Hospital -
Angelo Gatto
CEOChanelle Pharma -
Caroline Heller
Chief Business OfficerRumin8 -
Carlos Saviani
Beef Sustainability DirectorCargill -
Bruce Truman
President and FounderBLT Technology & Innovation Group -
Hui Cai
Senior Vice President, Head of Clinical ManufacturingWuXi Biologics -
Celine Halioua
Founder & CEOLoyalCeline Halioua is the Founder and CEO of Loyal, a clinical-stage animal health company
developing the first longevity drugs for dogs. Since founding Loyal in 2019, she has raised over $150M and has led the company through several historic regulatory milestones, including earning what is believed to be the first- and second-ever acceptances from the FDA that a drugcould be effectively developed for lifespan extension.
Prior to Loyal, Celine was Chief of Staff at the Longevity Fund and pursued a DPhil in the
economics of healthcare at Oxford University. She holds a B.S. in neuroscience from the
University of Texas at Austin. -
Jules Benson
PrincipalTapetum Lucidum Consulting -
Cindy Trice
Chief Veterinary Officerhound -
Scott Maloney
Senior Partner & FounderCrain Consulting -
Manoj Babu
VP Business DevelopmentSyngene International -
Patricia Porter
CEOVEA - Veternarian Exam Assistant -
Natalie Marks
Chief Executive OfficerVANEDr. 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.
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Douglas Aspros
Chief Veterinary OfficerVeterinary Practice Partners -
Derrick Kraemer
CEODoppler Veterinary Network -
William Tancredi
Chief of StaffOld Ridge Veterinary Hospital -
Candise Goodwin
FounderOutlier AdvisorsCandise Goodwin is a recognized leader in the pet industry, with over 15 years of experience helping companies navigate market complexity, scale solutions, and deliver measurable impact. Her background spans pivotal roles at industry leaders including Merck Animal Health, Vets First Choice, VIP Petcare/PETIQ, and Petco, where she led major digital transformations and launched numerous high-profile, industry-changing growth initiatives.
Candise has dedicated her career to understanding the challenges and opportunities within the pet industry. She has worked closely with retailers, veterinary groups, pet technology companies, product and service providers, and pharmacies - developing a holistic, customer-centric viewpoint of the industry's unique ecosystem along the way.
Today, Candise extends her expertise to clients seeking to navigate the complexities of the market. Her firm, Outlier Advisors, provides strategic consulting services that reflect her distinctive blend of innovative thinking, deep industry knowledge, and ability to spot emerging trends. Outlier Advisors partners with industry leaders, investors, and startups to develop actionable strategies that meet the demands of an evolving pet landscape.
Candise is also a sought-after speaker, advisor, author, and mentor, known for sharing rare and multifaceted insights and practical strategies with fellow Outliers.
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Keith True
FounderTrue.Vet and True Vet Potential -
Neshmeen Faatimah
CEO & C-FounderNuzzle Technologies, Inc -
Steve Kirton
Angel InvestorVANE -
David Haworth
Angel InvestorVANE -
Ron Phillips
Senior Vice President, PolicyAnimal Health Institute -
Brian Earnest
Lead Protein Industry AnalystCoBank -
David Kincaid
OwnerDedekind Cut Labs -
Alex Cohen
Chief Technology OfficerABC Intelligence -
Lily Chen
Owner / VeterinarianIntegrative Pet Wellness Center -
Daniella Bellaire
Chief Revenue OfficerDigitail -
James King
Vice President of Software Engineering, Patterson VeterinaryAnimal Care Technologies -
Kathleen Crispi
Director of InnovationTrouw Nutrition -
Adam Little
PresidentExponential Animal Health Inc -
Issiah Owens
Director of Animal Health ProductsDAW Systems -
Sheri Gilmartin
Vice President Sales, Enterprise SolutionsVetsource -
Paula Bamford
COOUnited Veterinary Care -
Kevin Cohen
Co-FounderVetRec -
Michael Klotsman
Founder and CEOOkava Pharmaceuticals -
Paweł Wielgus
Member of the Management BoardBioceltix -
Cal Lai
CEOAsk.Vet -
John Fargher
Co-Founder & Chief Strategy OfficerAgriWebb -
Luke Burnett
CEOKeraVet Bio -
Asher Fink
Chief Commercial OfficerHT Vista -
Meghan Burns
President & Co-FounderConnect Veterinary Consulting -
Mildred Munjanganja
Chief Business Development OfficerAllivet by Tractor Supply Co.