Badarinath Kommandur
Fellow
Cadence
Badari has played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of Advanced CPU design, Low Power Graphics, and Client SoC designs at Intel Corporation, contributing to over 10 generations of cutting-edge technology. His most recent role as a Senior Principal Engineer on the Meteor Lake Client SoC design team underscores his commitment to pushing the boundaries of design methodology, efficiency, and PPA optimization.
He has also completed the System Design & Management Fellows program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A proud graduate of Arizona State University with a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Badari's focus was on VLSI design and Computer Architecture. Beyond his technical focus, Badari has made significant impacts in Intel Capital and Intel Labs, spearheading efforts in New Business Incubation and contributing to long-range research definition and commercialization.
Badari is currently a Fellow in Cadence Design Systems and leads the Physical Design CAD and TFM teams developing best in class IP's and Chiplets in the Silicon Solutions Group. He leads teams exploring the application of Gen AI and Agentic AI capabilities for improving design efficiency and PPA for Cadence IP's and Chiplets in SSG.
Exposure Opportunities
Investment Opportunities
Expanding into new markets can boost scale—or dilute impact.
This breakout explores how market entry affects valuation, resource allocation, and investor confidence. From timing and team readiness to regulatory friction and brand stretch, discover what early-stage pet companies must weigh before going global. Understand when expansion creates value—and when it puts it at risk.
Unleashing Profit Potential
Unleash your profit potential and dominate online sales with savvy digital marketing moves & retention focused planning. From pinpoint targeting to data-driven magic, learn how to captivate pet parents, boost engagement, and turn clicks into loyal customers in a bustling e-commerce pack.
Engaging Pet Parents
Ryan Reed
Co-Founder & CEO
Pawsitivity Pets
Ryan has been an entrepreneur since 2008, right out of college. He started a successful Digital Marketing agency where he worked with many large ecommerce companies and helped some to exit. Ryan also started a lifestyle brand with his wife in 2017, Lifebyher LLC, which provides lifestyle content for women. He and his wife Ashley have built the following to 700,000 followers and growing. In 2020, Ryan partnered with his friend and former client, Gary Nealon, to start Pawzitivity Pets where they have acquired 8 brands in the pet space, ranging from supplements to content websites.
Vijay Menon
Founder
Butter Payments
Charles Rosenblatt
Chief Commercial Officer
Butter Payments
Getting into retail is a milestone—but one with serious cost, complexity, and risk. This breakout dives into what early-stage pet brands must know before pursuing retail: from pitching buyers and funding shelf strategy to navigating distributor relationships and demand planning. Understand what retailers look for, how to build leverage, and whether the shelf is really your next best move.
Scaling Smarter
Engaging Pet Parents
2.45-3.00 – Meeting 12
3.05-3.20 – Meeting 13
3.25-3.40 – Meeting 14
Networking Opportunities
Three disruptors share what they’re changing—across care delivery, commerce, and connection—and why now is the time. From bold pivots to new models, discover how they’re unlocking growth, challenging legacy thinking, and reshaping the pet industry from the inside out.
Exposure Opportunities
Scaling Smarter
Engaging Pet Parents
Investment Opportunities
Brandy Kuentzel
Co-Founder & CEO
Ease Pet Vet
Brandy Kuentzel is the CEO and co-founder of Ease Pet Vet, the company making expert veterinary behavior care accessible to all pets. Prior to starting Ease, Brandy led legal strategy and advocacy efforts for one of the nation’s most influential animal welfare organizations, the San Francisco SPCA, for more than a decade. As General Counsel, she oversaw numerous groundbreaking legislative victories including shutting down California’s last gas chamber for shelter pets, challenging restrictive laws on veterinary telemedicine, and establishing the nation’s first legal aid organization dedicated to shelter animals. Brandy saw firsthand that behavior was the silent crisis behind so many heartbreaking outcomes for pets, and founded Ease as the first online solution to bring specialty behavior care into the mainstream. An accomplished entrepreneur and corporate attorney, Brandy was the season winner of NBC’s The Apprentice, and previously founded and sold her own venture in the food industry. She earned her JD from the University of Chicago Law School and holds a BA from UCLA, and enjoys time with her family of two cats, two children and husband in the Bay Area when not building Ease.
Jason Meltzer
Founder & CEO
Live Work Pet
Jason Meltzer is a pet care entrepreneur with a track record of building category-defining brands. He is the founder of Live Work Pet, a new real estate platform that combines premium rental housing with integrated pet care and curated lifestyle amenities designed for modern pet parents. The company is launching its first community in Denver with plans to scale nationally.
Previously, Jason co-founded Wag, where he served as CEO & Chief Dog Officer and helped grow the company into one of the most recognized pet tech startups in the country. He led market expansion, product launches, sales operations, investor relations, and brand storytelling during the company’s early growth.
Jason brings over ten years of experience at the intersection of pet wellness, technology, and consumer real estate. His work is focused on building scalable solutions that improve quality of life for pets and their people while unlocking long-term enterprise value.
Ava Dorsey
Founder
Ava’s Pet Palace