For startups bridging AI and animal health, early commercial validation can be the difference between momentum and stalling. Bernardo Petriz, CEO & Co-Founder of Peptidus Biotech, shares how Peptidus secured its first seed round, engaged directly with livestock producers in Brazil, and built industry credibility through programmes like vHive, to move from discovery platform to commercial pipeline.

Derick Whitley, CEO of TRAVV, shares how strategic AI adoption across operations is allowing them to achieve more with their raised capital than previous generations of startups. From automated coding and brand development to administrative workflows, he reveals which AI applications are delivering the highest ROI for resource-constrained companies and how this operational approach is creating competitive advantage in scaling diagnostics services.

Cat Health Corp. pursued a non-traditional multi-API drug strategy, overcoming investor resistance and building a faster path to clinic by leveraging existing compounds and novel combinations. This session will explore why unconventional drug models face pushback, how existing molecules can accelerate development timelines, and what founders need to do to bring investors along on non-traditional strategies.