In June 2025, the Pet Industry Federation hosted its third Business of Pets conference – a two-day event that brought together founders, retailers, marketers, investors, and innovators from across the pet industry.
Held at Cranfield University, the programme was full of insight and inspiration. Across expert-led panels, hands-on workshops, and the ever-popular Innovation Award pitches, we explored what’s next for the pet sector – and how small businesses can not just keep up, but lead the way.
In this episode, I’m joined by my friend and designer Kate Hendry from Finbo Studio, who I attended the event with.
We’re sharing our reflections, notes and takeaways from across the two days – what we learned, what surprised us, and what we think matters most for small pet businesses in 2025 and beyond.
We heard from industry names including Rachel Duffy of Naked Dog, Claire Hunter from Claire’s Comfy Canines, and Gemma Stocks of Herbal Dog Co, plus early-stage brands breaking new ground in areas like prescription access, AI tech, and ready-grown cat grass.
There were sessions on crowdfunding, community building, scaling your business, and how to use AI tools practically (and without shame) in your day-to-day.
And the Innovation Finalists across both days gave us plenty to get excited about.
With so much packed into just two days, we’re using this episode to recap the standout moments – the speakers, ideas and strategies that stuck with us – along with links, timings and resources if you’d like to explore more.
Topics and timings in this episode:
Day One
1.12 – Introduction to the conference and what to expect from this episode.
2.09 – Attracting customers panel with Rachel Duffy (Naked Dog), Claire Huster (Claire’s Comfy Canines), and David Brown (ByTeddy)
6.07 – Building community through local partnerships and sponsorships
7.59 – Influencer marketing and affiliates with ByTeddy
10.55 – Understanding investment with Debbie Lewis (NatWest Accelerator) and the funding process
14.18 – Crowdfunding success with Clara from The Muzzle Movement (raised £46,000 through her community)
16.50 – Mindset blocks around funding and investment – and how not every business needs to scale
17.33 – Turbocharging business growth with Martin Spiller (Cranfield University): KPIs, focus, and customer knowledge
21.53 – Psychological safety in teams, letting go of control and building support
25.13 – Keeping your passion alive in business and the importance of connection
29.19 – Innovation Award pitches from Day One finalists:
• 30.43 – Indoorcat Ltd/MyCatGrass – Ready-grown cat grass for feline enrichment
• 33.01 – Inventor Cat – Dental Wand to reduce periodontal disease in cats
• 33.43 – Pet Trust UK – Building a better centralised microchip and pet database
• 36.11 – Petcare Technologies Ltd – Pawpal booking app for groomers, walkers, daycares
• 37.39 – Petscribers – Affordable pet prescriptions and access to medication
• 40.02 – The Clorox Company – Ever Clean Senior Cat litter formulated for older felines
42.11 - Confessions of a Pet Entrepreneur with Liz Stout from No Bull and Gemma Stocks from Herbal Dog Co.
Day Two
46.57 – AI & Tech panel: how AI is transforming the pet industry with Kirsty Skeates (PetBizAI.app) and Scarlett Trillia (Porter Labs)
48.18 – Using AI to streamline client notes, content, and operations
49.44 – What is PetBizAI and how it supports pet business owners
51.45 – Different AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) and reducing AI shaming
52.33 – Treating AI as a colleague and integrating it ethically and sustainably
54.20 – From idea to impact: innovation and growth in the pet sector with Claire Gavin (Innovation for Pets), Peter Roy (Nutriment), and Bob Hanson (Pets Around the World)
57.14 – Finalist pitches from Day Two Innovation Award entries:
• 57.30 – AniVatio – ProGut: gut health supplement
• 58.12 – ByTeddy – Cosy Car Seat for dogs
• 58.55 – Porter Labs – PupStation for canine enrichment
• 59.30 – The Muzzle Movement – Size Mitzy: inclusive muzzle design
• 59.58 – The Pet Carpenter Ltd – Bespoke pet furniture
• 1:00.26 – UK LitPet Biotech Co Ltd – LitPet Pawsitive Powder: calming TCM supplement
1:01.00 – Data-driven insights with NielsenIQ and CACI: understanding trends, behaviour and the pet sector’s future
Key messages:
“As small businesses, our superpower is personalisation. That real human connection is something the big brands just can’t replicate.”
“There’s no shame in building a lifestyle business. Growth doesn’t always mean investment and expansion—it can mean freedom and fulfilment.”
“You don’t need a perfect pitch deck to start. Just prove your idea works in some form, and build from there."
“AI isn’t replacing us—it’s helping us do the work we already do faster and better. Don’t let AI shaming hold you back.”
“You can have a polished brand and still build it from your bedroom with a wonky tripod. Scrappy success is still success.”
Links mentioned in this episode:
Cranfield University – Martin Spiller
Innovation Award Day One Finalists:
My Cat Grass Ready Grown Cat Grass
Inventor Cat – Dental Wand
Pet Trust UK
Petcare Technologies Ltd – Pawpal
Petscribers
The Clorox Company – Ever Clean Senior Cat
AI and Tech Panel:
PetBizAI.app (Kirsty Skeates)
Porter Labs (Scarlett Trillia)
Innovation & Growth Panel:
Innovation for Pets (Claire Gavin LinkedIn)
Nutriment (Peter Roy)
Pets Around the World (Bob Hanson)
Innovation Award Day Two Finalists:
AniVatio – ProGut
ByTeddy – Cosy Car Seat
Porter Labs – PupStation
The Muzzle Movement
UK LitPet Biotech Co Ltd – LitPet Pawsitive Powder
The Pet Carpenter Ltd
NielsenIQ
Data and Trends Session:
CACI
