The 2025 Global Pet Expo was a masterclass in how innovation often emerges not from the center, but from the edges.

In a space dominated by traditional players, it was a rising company named Veterinary Exam Assistant (VEA) that captured headlines and hearts. As the unanimous Grand Prize Winner of the 2025 Pet Care Innovation Prize, sponsored by Purina, VEA exemplifies a bold, often-overlooked thesis: the future of pet care will be shaped by ideas borrowed from outside of it. But they are not alone.

Scaling Through Adjacent, Non-Endemic Business Models

The winners of tomorrow will embrace a simple belief: animal health doesn't have to invent everything from scratch. It can and should adapt proven strategies from parallel industries. Whether it’s automation tools from logistics, AI decision-support systems from human healthcare, or consumer experience models from retail, the winners are weaving external innovation into the internal fabric of veterinary care.

We live in an era of constant motion, and our eating habits reflect this shift. Snacks are no longer mere in-between treats; they now constitute 25% of all calories consumed on a daily basis. This simple fact has given rise to a movement more commonly referred to as Better For You (BFY) consumer packaged goods.

As consumers increasingly rely on snacks to fuel their busy lives, the snacking industry is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by evolving consumer demands, the rise of health consciousness, and the emerging influence of GLP-1 medications. This article delves into the shifting patterns of consumption within the snacking category, drawing insights from the 2025 Natural Products Expo West flagship conference.

Shhh, there is a dirty secret that is often not discussed. Pet ownership is DOWN for the 2nd consecutive year since its peak of 70% in 2020 during the COVID Pandemic to just under 66%.

Why? Consider these three facts:

🪴 | Plants are the new pets.

🐶 | Pets are the new kids.

👧🏼 | Kids are infallible.

Read that second statement again: Pets are the new kids.

As an advisor, mentor, and investor in the pet industry, I’ve learned a lot about preparing for a successful exit. I recently attended the 7th Annual Pet Connect USA Summit in LA, hosted by Kisaco Research.

Similar to the past five summits I’ve attended, this year’s event offered valuable insights, including a new startup-focused session before the main conference. Here’s what I learned…

The Boom in Pet Care → The pet industry is experiencing unprecedented growth, with a 5% CAGR and 67% of American families owning pets. Private equity investments are surging, fueling innovation and disruption. The petcare market is at an inflection point, making now the perfect time to identify opportunities and take action.

Industry Shifts: What’s Changing?

In today’s rapidly evolving marketplace, understanding emerging consumer trends, pricing strategies, and behaviors is crucial for businesses aiming to stay ahead.

Wellness goes far beyond the # on a scale. Wicked far.

Today, consumer-driven industries are seeing the wellness space evolving alongside broader societal shifts. Companies that can (now) accurately assess who is consuming what, where, and at what price point are better positioned to deliver more value, enhance customer experiences, and capture market share.

Lessons learned from B2C Retail Executives at The Lead’s Summit.

I never tire of learning. After 12 industry conferences in 2024, I know a thing or two about trends impacting retail. TLDR = AI’s your friend, think non-linear, stay curious, open to change, willing to partner & focused on what matters most.

In an effort to make this article actionable, I included a link to view additional details on each iconic brand via my LinkedIn coverage.

Lessons learned from the “The Future of Healthcare: How Robots, Automation, and AI are Transforming Care Delivery” Keynote delivered at #HIMSS24.

Zipline epitomizes the fusion of crowd-sourced trends, cutting-edge technology, healthcare innovation, and globalaltruism towards those most in need.

At HIMSS’s flagship conference, amidst a crowd of thousands, I had the privilege of witnessing Keller Rinaudo Cliffton and his team unveil a groundbreaking initiative. Which I consider the transformation of global healthcare delivery through near-real-time drone transport of critical medications.

Lessons learned on the road. Simple & actionable strategies to maximize your conference time.

DYK there are 6,970 tradeshows in the United States? And the numbers continue to rise year over year. Why? The answer is simple: in-person meetings hold an unparalleled advantage over virtual interactions. With over 70% of communication being non-verbal, there’s a depth of connection that virtual meetings often miss.

Having traversed numerous conferences in the past 12 months, from intimate gatherings to massive events with tens of thousands in attendance, here are 4 Key Areas of Success.

A close friend — Matt Murphy, General Partner at Montage Ventures — asked me to speak with Create co-founders Dhruv Amin and Marcus Lowe about how they are planning to go to market.

“We’re on the precipice of a revolution in who can build software fast. And creating custom software experiences gives you leverage. We want to empower all companies to be as powerful as the most iconic dev-powered organizations on planet with the tools and community we’re building.” — Dhruv Amin

The average new business pitch costs $450,000. You can’t afford to lose a pitch or (even worse) win a pitch that’s not the right fit for your business.

So lets start with these six elements of a pitch response:

1. Values: Your team aligns with the Brand’s value system.

2. Interest: Your colleagues want to work with the brand.

3. Experience: The work requested is a core capability of what you do best.

4. Resources: The brand has worked with an business in this capacity and/or is embracing the level of resources required.

5. Authority: You are talking to the right people in the process and they have the authority to make binding decisions.

6. Realistic: The prospect ask / Request for Proposal (RFP) is realistic and you can be successful given what you know to be true.

If you can’t say YES to each question, do not proceed any further. If you have a “maybe,” go back to the prospect and ask for greater clarity.

You must be able to say YES to each question. Hard stop otherwise.