In early February I attended the 10th annual Animal Health Nutrition, Technology and Innovation gathering in London and it was truly inspiring. The event buzzed with energy and fresh ideas shared by dedicated founders and their supporters. It was a melting pot of innovation, showcasing numerous emerging trends and hot topics—trends set to redefine how we work and compete in the evolving landscape.
The conference showcased groundbreaking advances in diagnostics, highlighting cutting-edge technologies that enable earlier disease detection, improved accuracy, and more effective treatment strategies for animal health. Insitugen pitched investors on their new hormone diagnostic test, a bioassay to determine the appropriate time for sterilization surgery, in one-on-one meetings with investors. Based on UC Davis data and WSAVA guidelines, the time is right for this tool (which does not exist today for veterinary practices). The test addresses the market’s need and discussions among Spay/Neuter Syndrome experts.
Another diagnostic platform, Veheri, described how their cloud-based collaboration platform enhances diagnostic imaging through collective expertise. It offers teleradiology and teleneurology reporting, along with education resources and research support, connecting a global network of veterinary specialists. Congratulations to Dr. Oliver Gehrig who is involved in both the Veheri and Insitugen capital raise efforts.
Of particular interest, given the growth in the popularity of cats, is a diagnostic tool that predicts how companion cats feel based on subtle facial cues. Sylvester.ai provides information about a cat’s pain or comfort level – a valuable tool for any feline pet parent wanting to monitor their cat’s health. It was great to see founder Susan Groneveld on stage in London.
In addition to improving animal health outcomes through diagnostics, the broader goal of operational efficiency was discussed, namely, enabling more precise decision-making, reduced costs, and optimized resource management across the industry. Inventory Ally highlighted the global need to improve COGs and how independents and groups can tighten their belts by slowing down and lengthening the time between visits. It has been quite rewarding to see Inventory Ally’s growth and success from a startup to a full-fledged global entity.
AgBoost, an online tool for genetic testing and data analysis, ingests genetic data from any company that provides a cattle genetic test and uses that data to match bulls and heifers for improved productivity. Sean Akadiri, CEO of AgBoost, presented two sessions at the Production Rotating Discussion titled Delivering the Future of Farming: Driving Profitability and Productivity. I would love to see this AgBoost technology applied to help the dog breeder community. To my knowledge pair matching is a manual process for them.
Other companies showing how they are addressing emerging trends are those that competed in the Innovation Showcase. The eight finalists competing for investment opportunities in animal health and nutrition were:
- Allegro: Allegro – Biomedical Technologies
- Benno Therapeutics: Bennotx Therapeutics
- eQcell: eQcell Inc.
- Medea Biopharma: https://www.medea-bio.com/
- Snoretox: Snoretox
- Sylvester.ai: sylvester.ai | Predictive Animal Healthcare Tools
- Veheri: Veheri – Veheri
- Vetbiolix: Vetbiolix – New route to animal health
Alegro was the Judges’ Choice companion animal pitch winner, and Benno was the Audience Choice companion animal winner. Congratulations go out to them!
Of course, you will want to be on the lookout for the startups that pitched in production animal: Astra Therapeutics, FABP Biotech, OneCup AI, Organicin Scientific, Peptidus, Resilient Biotics, SingleTimeMicroneedle (STM), and Verovaccines as these companies also had impressive presentations.
Other notable discussions delved into the paradigm shift to age-related care, concerns about the US slowdown in wellness visits as evidence that we might be at a breaking point, and the need for more financial solutions in our cash-pay system. David Westenberg, CFA and Senior Equity Research Analyst from Piper Sandler discussed the paradigm shift to age-related care, stating that as pets live longer, we have to think about their care differently, with wellness and extending life becoming critical needs. I believe that advances in medications (such as Loyal) and diagnostics (such as Insutigen) are precisely what the paradigm shift calls for. Although not at the conference in London an example of this shift in the US would be the success that the Senior Dog Veterinary Society has had with the online certification and membership program.
Finally, the decline in wellness visits and the need for better financial solutions are a direct result of the current dynamics in the market. As the quality of care advances and pets live longer, so does the cost of care. Combined with inflation, there is a threat to the sustainability of the cash pay system. As a global industry, we need to be finding ways to provide more financial solutions to pet parents. The membership models emerging from some of the innovative Denovo’s are an example of potential solutions. I see a future where PaaS (Platforms as a Service) step in to drive innovation and operational efficiencies in this category. More on this to come in next month’s article.
Like the innovative companies attending AHNTI this year, the conference introduced a new Startup Technology Village and the Technical Insights Stage, allowing startups to present in various formats for more exposure. AHNTI events are great for bringing together innovative startups, investors, and strategists with the goal of one-on-one networking meetings. Check out the link for the Boston event at Animal Health, Nutrition & Technology Innovation USA 2025, and use code BLT10 for a 10% discount.
Ashley Pochick and Emmitt Nantz of Inventory Ally did a great job on the Technical Insights Stage and the Start-up Technology Village, which offered opportunities for greater exposure. Also pictured is Kathryn Kukla, Founder and Managing Partner at Animal Health Experts.