Our Confirmed 2025 Speakers
We're excited to share with you our early confirmed speakers for 2025!
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Julia Stephanus
PartnerBorealis VenturesJulia Stephanus is a 30 year veteran of the veterinary pharmaceutical industry. Currently Julia is President of Avviare, a consulting firm specializing in supporting veterinary focused start-ups.
Julia has been involved in the development and launch of 28 veterinary products. She has been a senior executive in two start-up pharmaceutical companies (Aratana Therapeutics and Summit VetPharm), and held key positions at multi-nationals including Pfizer (now Zoetis) and its legacy companies.
As Chief Commercial Officer of Aratana Julia provided the commercial leadership resulting in a successful IPO (NASDAQ:PETX), high-impact corporate branding, innovative go-to-market strategies for five therapeutics and the staffing of the inaugural commercial organization.
As founder and CEO of Summit VetPharm, Julia developed and launched a new line of companion animal parasiticides, grew the company to a cash flow positive position with 85 employees in five years and divested the company to Ceva Animal Health in 2010. A graduate of Indiana University, she has continued her executive training at Harvard, Columbia, University of Chicago and the Wharton School of Business.
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Brett Wong
PrincipalAnterra Capital -
Cynthia Cole
Technical PartnerDigitalis Ventures -
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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Dain Clare
Vice PresidentNovaQuest Capital Management -
Jason Scott
Founder & Managing Partner525 Ventures -
Neal Fishman
CTO of Data-Based PathologyIBM -
Geoffrey Shmigelsky
CTOOpenCupAI -
Andrew McKenzie
CEOPrecision Livestock Technologies -
Garth Jordan
CEOAmerican Animal Hospital Association -
Meaghan Gilhooly
VP Veterinary AffairsBanfield Pet Hospitals -
Pawel Wielgus
Board MemberBioceltix -
Kristin Wuhrman
Board of DirectorsCATalyst Council -
Terri Rockovich
Co Founder & CEOJinxx -
Gerardo Bluske
CEO & Co-FounderByBug