Three disruptors share what they’re changing—across care delivery, commerce, and connection—and why now is the time. From bold pivots to new models, discover how they’re unlocking growth, challenging legacy thinking, and reshaping the pet industry from the inside out.
Brandy Kuentzel
Brandy Kuentzel is the CEO and co-founder of Ease Pet Vet, the company making expert veterinary behavior care accessible to all pets. Prior to starting Ease, Brandy led legal strategy and advocacy efforts for one of the nation’s most influential animal welfare organizations, the San Francisco SPCA, for more than a decade. As General Counsel, she oversaw numerous groundbreaking legislative victories including shutting down California’s last gas chamber for shelter pets, challenging restrictive laws on veterinary telemedicine, and establishing the nation’s first legal aid organization dedicated to shelter animals. Brandy saw firsthand that behavior was the silent crisis behind so many heartbreaking outcomes for pets, and founded Ease as the first online solution to bring specialty behavior care into the mainstream. An accomplished entrepreneur and corporate attorney, Brandy was the season winner of NBC’s The Apprentice, and previously founded and sold her own venture in the food industry. She earned her JD from the University of Chicago Law School and holds a BA from UCLA, and enjoys time with her family of two cats, two children and husband in the Bay Area when not building Ease.
Jason Meltzer
Jason Meltzer is a pet care entrepreneur with a track record of building category-defining brands. He is the founder of Live Work Pet, a new real estate platform that combines premium rental housing with integrated pet care and curated lifestyle amenities designed for modern pet parents. The company is launching its first community in Denver with plans to scale nationally.
Previously, Jason co-founded Wag, where he served as CEO & Chief Dog Officer and helped grow the company into one of the most recognized pet tech startups in the country. He led market expansion, product launches, sales operations, investor relations, and brand storytelling during the company’s early growth.
Jason brings over ten years of experience at the intersection of pet wellness, technology, and consumer real estate. His work is focused on building scalable solutions that improve quality of life for pets and their people while unlocking long-term enterprise value.
