Successful exits start long before the deal. In this breakout, M&A insiders reveal how to position for acquisition—from shaping financials and forecasting performance to managing risk, brand narrative, and buyer alignment.
Learn what truly drives valuation and how run a process that protects your upside and delivers results.
According to Salesforce, 62% of customers feel emotionally attached to the brands they love. Creating a lasting, positive impression can build long-term loyalty—but earning that place in your customer’s heart isn’t easy. This interactive roundtable will guide you through exercises to identify your white space and share practical tips to craft a compelling brand story that helps your brand truly stand out.
In her role as Managing Director, Katy is focused on guiding brand strategy and uncovering consumer insights that lead to big ideas. Katy's career has been driven by developing a keen understanding of the human behavior that drives purchasing decisions. She has worked with world-class brands like Hallmark, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Helzberg Diamonds and Kohl’s. At her core, Katy is a problem solver and a storyteller. As a strong collaborator and thoughtful writer, Katy leads teams through the strategic process to simplify the complex and deliver succinct brand systems.
As co-CEO and owner of the agency, Nicole has guided the creative process for a large portfolio of clients including the Kansas City Current, The Hershey Company, Georgia Pacific and Panera. With more than 25 years in the design industry, Nicole has extensive experience overseeing large-scale projects, brand identity creation, major civic initiatives, environmental installations and stand-out packaging innovations. Her critical eye and expertise mean she can visualize the big picture without neglecting the details.
From rising shipping costs to sourcing volatility, pet brands are under pressure. This breakout reveals how to build true operational resilience—through smarter supply chain diversification, logistics optimization, and leveraging data to mitigate risk.
Walk away with actionable strategies to protect margin, reduce disruption, and scale confidently in uncertain times.
C-suite executives from across the pet care ecosystem, leading veterinarians, insurers, retailers, investors as well as multinational pet care corporations, and the rest, gather to connect, partner and do business at Pet Connect.
• Meetings are 15 minutes in length
• Pet Connect attendees will use the Swap card event app to schedule meetings with fellow attendees.
• Access to the app will be provided 2 weeks prior to the event for attendees and 3 weeks prior for event partners.
12.30-12.45 - Meeting Slot 1
12.50-1.05 – Meeting Slot 2
1.10-1.25 – Meeting Slot 3
1.30-1.45 – Meeting Slot 4
1.50-2.05 – Meeting Slot 5
Harness the opportunity of a rapidly evolving pet market. From choosing the right channels—distribution vs. retail—to real-world marketing wins and customer education strategies, this session delivers sharp insights and actionable focus points for presenting new offerings to today’s pet parents.
What does it really take to go from idea to acquisition in the pet industry? In this founder case study, we unpack the journey from first product to earned trust, investor backing, and strategic exit.
Honest lessons on traction, pivots, partnerships—and how to scale when the path isn't straight.
Pet insurance is no longer just about reimbursement—it’s a gateway to care, trust, and retention.
This panel explores how modern models—wellness plans, embedded coverage, and flexible financing—are reshaping access for underserved pet owners and unlocking new revenue.
Learn where insurance is headed, how it partners with retail, tech, and financial services and who’s still being left behind.
Christie Horvath is CEO and Founder of Wagmo, a modern pet healthcare company redefining pet benefits in the workplace. Christie holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics from Northwestern University. She began her career in the Financial Institutions Group at BlackRock before launching Wagmo in 2017.
Recently, Christie was named to the Inc. Female Founders 500 list, and in 2024, Wagmo was recognized with the Benefits Trailblazer Award for Best Lifestyle Solution.
The pet-human bond isn’t news - it’s the foundation. What matters now is how we design around it.
Join us as we unpack the ripple effects: how generational shifts, urban living, and rising expectations are redefining care delivery, access, and brand loyalty.
From care team communication to emotionally intelligent design this is your blueprint for building systems that truly serve the modern pet parent.
Dr. Rustin M. Moore was born and raised in West Virginia, the heart of Appalachia. He earned his BS from West Virginia University in 1986 and his DVM and PhD from the Ohio State University in 1989 and 1994, respectively. He became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 1994.
He spent 12 years on faculty at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine where his clinical interests included equine lameness, surgery, and colic and the associated complications. His research led to him being a principal or co-investigator on approximately 120 funded grants. In addition, he has authored or co-authored more than 15 academic book chapters, and his work has been published as 125 peer- or editor-reviewed manuscripts and 175 scientific abstracts.
Dr. Moore was recruited back to Ohio State in November 2006 as the Chair of the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, a position he served until 2014. He also simultaneously served as the Executive Director of the Veterinary Medical Center and Associate Dean for Clinical and Outreach Programs from 2009 to 2014, and then served as the Associate Executive Dean from 2014-2015 before being named the 11th Dean beginning September 2015.
A passionate advocate for animal health, Dr. Moore has led community outreach and disaster response initiatives, including the rescue, rehabilitation, and rehoming of nearly 500 horses after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. He serves on multiple boards, including the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and The Wilds, and the Ohio Wildlife Center, among others, and is currently the immediate past president of the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges.
He is a sought-after speaker on topics such as the importance of creating and fostering a community in the college, university, community, and the veterinary profession where all people feel welcome, comfortable and can thrive. He also is invited to speak about the importance of biodiversity to conservation and sustainability, competency-based veterinary education and spectrum of care, health and wellbeing of people in the veterinary profession, and the One Health approach to animal, human, and environmental health.
He has been frequently invited to share his passion, perspective, and expertise about the human-animal bond since his 2016 TEDx talk titled “The Power of a Pet.” To that end, Dr. Moore authored the recently released book, Unleashing the Bond: Harnessing the Power of Human-Animal Interactions, a broad and deep exploration of the often-mystifying connection between humans and animals, which is available on Amazon. He donates a portion of proceeds of book sales organizations that promote, protect, and preserve the human-animal bond. Be sure to leave a book review.
Nutrition remains top priority for pet parents. As attention has increased, so to have expectations. In a market crowded with premium promises and functional claims, leaders face rising pressure to scale trust, margin, and scientific credibility.
Explore what truly drives differentiation on packed shelves and leave with actionable strategies to future-proof portfolios, validate claims, and lead in this high-growth, high-stakes landscape.
Rich is the Co-Founder and CEO of Bond Pet Foods, a Boulder, Colorado-based start-up that’s working with biotechnology to make pet food from pure microbial and recombinant animal proteins like chicken, turkey and fish, without the animal. Before diving into the world of pets and food tech, Rich was a strategic planner at a number of advertising agencies for more than 20 years including CP+B, Upshot, FCB and Fallon, where he lead brand strategy for brands like Burger King, P&G, Kellogg’s, and Coca-Cola