Anna Skaya
Founder/ Partner
BasePaws/Ani.VC
Let the Reverse Pitch...BEGIN!
The Innovation & Investment Pre-Day will gather 40+ investment firms across angel, venture capital and private equity reverse-pitching, outlining what they’re looking for, and their remit to invest, alongside meetings with relevant companies.
Lots of events say they do ‘matchmaking’, but we’re the experts at it!
Key Sessions
10:20am
Pet 101: Future-Proof Fast
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.
Pet 101: Future-Proof Fast
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.
10:40am
Beyond Scarcity: Solving The Pet Funding Puzzle
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.
Moderator: Natalie Marks
Chief Executive Officer
VANE
Dace Graham
Founder & Managing Partner
1731 MGMT
Alex Chieng
Partner
Pawsible VC
Beyond Scarcity: Solving The Pet Funding Puzzle
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.
Moderator
Natalie Marks
Chief Executive Officer
VANE
Dace Graham
Founder & Managing Partner
1731 MGMT
Alex Chieng
Partner
Pawsible VC
11:10am
Meet the Investors Reverse Pitch
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!
Andrew Poley
Vice President
San Francisco Equity Partners
Anna Skaya
Founder/ Partner
BasePaws/Ani.VC
Chuck Johnson
Angel Investor
VANE
Dace Graham
Founder & Managing Partner
1731 MGMT
Natalie Marks
Chief Executive Officer
VANE
Robert Diamond
CEO
Identicare
Max Pluss
Principal
Rhea Capital Management
Andrew Katz
Managing Partner
Lab Lake Capital
George Song
Principal
Strand Equity
Linda Block
Investor
Impactology Partners
Jeffrey Emmons
VP Venture and Growth
Emil Capital Partners
Jay DeLong
Co-Founder
Active Capital
Charles Tapp
Founder & Managing Partner
Vetted Capital
Jared Jacobs
Partner
CAVU Consumer Partners
Leszek Wolany
Venture Partne
Smok Ventures
Ben Jacobs
Partner
Digitalis Ventures
Justin Wong
Vice President
Alliance Consumer Growth
Jeremiah Zinn
Partner
Off Leash Capital
Irena Blind
Managing Director
TSG Consumer Partners
Gina Del Vecchio
General Partner
Chicago Pacific Partners
Clarissa Barquist
Investor
Monogram Capital Partners
Christopher Brunert
Head of Corporate Ventures
Agrolimen Ventures
Meet the Investors Reverse Pitch
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!
Andrew Poley
Vice President
San Francisco Equity Partners
Anna Skaya
Founder/ Partner
BasePaws/Ani.VC
Chuck Johnson
Angel Investor
VANE
Dace Graham
Founder & Managing Partner
1731 MGMT
Natalie Marks
Chief Executive Officer
VANE
Robert Diamond
CEO
Identicare
Max Pluss
Principal
Rhea Capital Management
Andrew Katz
Managing Partner
Lab Lake Capital
George Song
Principal
Strand Equity
Linda Block
Investor
Impactology Partners
Jeffrey Emmons
VP Venture and Growth
Emil Capital Partners
Jay DeLong
Co-Founder
Active Capital
Charles Tapp
Founder & Managing Partner
Vetted Capital
Jared Jacobs
Partner
CAVU Consumer Partners
Leszek Wolany
Venture Partne
Smok Ventures
Ben Jacobs
Partner
Digitalis Ventures
Justin Wong
Vice President
Alliance Consumer Growth
Jeremiah Zinn
Partner
Off Leash Capital
Irena Blind
Managing Director
TSG Consumer Partners
Gina Del Vecchio
General Partner
Chicago Pacific Partners
Clarissa Barquist
Investor
Monogram Capital Partners
Christopher Brunert
Head of Corporate Ventures
Agrolimen Ventures
01:30pm
Break-Out Sessions
Scale Smarter
Engage Pet Parents
Unleash Profit Potential
Pitch Perfection: Building Winning Decks
Nail your pitch, protect your ideas, and win investor confidence.
This session breaks down what today’s investors want to see—from deck structure to storytelling flow—so you can command attention, communicate traction, and raise capital with clarity and conviction.
Mark Florence, CEO & Founder,
Brisby
Pitch Perfection: Building Winning Decks
Nail your pitch, protect your ideas, and win investor confidence.
This session breaks down what today’s investors want to see—from deck structure to storytelling flow—so you can command attention, communicate traction, and raise capital with clarity and conviction.
Mark Florence
CEO & Founder
Brisby
Target Smarter: ICPs, Influencers, and Decision-Managers
Are you marketing to a myth?
Designed to give founders a cheat sheet for defining their true customer and where revenue can truly be generated.
This session decodes emotional drivers, pinpoints effective influencer channels, and helps you leverage in-clinic advocates effectively.
Sharpen your positioning, validate product–market fit, and build traction that converts.
Steve Kirton, CEO,
Circa Healthcare
Target Smarter: ICPs, Influencers, and Decision-Managers
Are you marketing to a myth?
Designed to give founders a cheat sheet for defining their true customer and where revenue can truly be generated.
This session decodes emotional drivers, pinpoints effective influencer channels, and helps you leverage in-clinic advocates effectively.
Sharpen your positioning, validate product–market fit, and build traction that converts.
Steve Kirton
CEO
Circa Healthcare
Unleash Profit Potential: From Pilot to Partnership: Smart Scaling Strategies for a Winning Exit
A successful exit is built into business foundations from day one.
Discover how to optimize growth, strengthen your business fundamentals, and position your company to attract top buyers and maximize returns when it’s time to sell.
Unleash Profit Potential: From Pilot to Partnership: Smart Scaling Strategies for a Winning Exit
A successful exit is built into business foundations from day one.
Discover how to optimize growth, strengthen your business fundamentals, and position your company to attract top buyers and maximize returns when it’s time to sell.
02:30pm
Networking
Pre-Scheduled 1-2-1 Meetings
All present on the pre-day will have the ability to book up to six 1-2-1 meetings with investors and/or innovators present following the reverse pitch.
• Pre-Day Meetings are 20 minutes in length
• Guests will use the Swapcard 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 ahead for event partners.
2.30-2.50 – Meeting 1
2.55-3.15 – Meeting 2
3.20-3.40 – Meeting 3
3.45-4.05 – Meeting 4
4.10-4.30 – Meeting 5
4.35-4.55 – Meeting 6
Pre-Scheduled 1-2-1 Meetings
All present on the pre-day will have the ability to book up to six 1-2-1 meetings with investors and/or innovators present following the reverse pitch.
• Pre-Day Meetings are 20 minutes in length
• Guests will use the Swapcard 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 ahead for event partners.
2.30-2.50 – Meeting 1
2.55-3.15 – Meeting 2
3.20-3.40 – Meeting 3
3.45-4.05 – Meeting 4
4.10-4.30 – Meeting 5
4.35-4.55 – Meeting 6
