VMX 2025 was one for the books, with a record-breaking 30,000 people in attendance. While there, I met with several current and prospective clients one-on-one. These individuals trust us with their financials, and it was truly special to see them in person, shake their hands, and hear all about their businesses, hopes, and dreams. These interactions constantly remind me that the veterinary industry cares deeply about people, and I am humbled to play a part in this world.
I was also fortunate to connect with old friends and colleagues and explore new trends and innovations on the expo floor. Here’s a quick look back at the highlights of my trip and what excites me about the future of the veterinary industry.
Honoring a legend
On Tuesday afternoon, I attended the VMX Pet Pitch Competition, which included a lovely tribute to Kelly Clay and her contributions to the veterinary innovation space. Kelly was a legend who was and is missed, and I’m grateful others, including Matt Russell and Robert Sanchez, have picked up the torch to honor her in a meaningful way.
Companies to watch
I loved meeting with companies that are putting the pieces together and doing innovative things to solve real-life problems, like David Servodidio, Tim Ridgway, and Conor Guptill at VetVerifi. This team is crushing the issue of vaccine compliance from inside and outside the vet industry, and they’re really doing great things.
I learned about wellness plans while meeting with companies like Snout and Nest. Although I struggle with the accountancy and math of these plans, I think Jacob Davis and Ishani Gujral of Nest are charming, smart, and focused entrepreneurs who are likely to do great things in vet med. I need to spend some time with Debbie Boone, who literally wrote the book on wellness plans, to help me understand this concept more.
Two more companies I’ve followed and advised informally caught my eye, and it was fun to see them out in the wild. The first was Ready, Vet, Go. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone more authentic than Dani Rabwin, who is committed to thoughtful, methodical mentoring for new vets. And I’m not the only one who’s noticed—her community has more than 2,200 members and continues to grow.
The second was NerveX, whose team I saw for the first time on the show floor. Gerard O’Leary, the company’s CEO, used his expertise as a PhD and engineer to develop hardware that clips onto a stethoscope to record TPRs, grade heart murmurs, and doubles as a non-intrusive scribing microphone. Feedback on this device has been incredible, and this team is definitely one to watch.
Is scribing the new telemedicine?
Rumor has it that 34 scribe companies took up residence on the show floor this year, which seems about right by my account. Remember when the same felt true for telemedicine providers? I’m interested to see how many scribe companies make it out next year since the barriers to entry are nearly non-existent in this category. And what will happen when the up-and-coming cloud-based PIMS systems embed scribing into their software directly? Time will tell.
Connecting with friends and colleagues
Of course, VMX is also a time for connecting with new and old friends, like my former VetSuccess and Vetsource teammates, Jamie McDougal of Animalytix with Chris Ragland and Brad Holen, and Jessica Petty of Zoetis. Jharid Pratt, Heather Piazza, and Meghan Bingham of Granite Peak Associates also made an appearance, a truly marvelous feat during year-end tax time.
I was thrilled to meet Petar Donić IRL and say hello to my friend Milan Boričić from DEVersity. This team codes and troubleshoots business technical issues and was/is a significant part of the VetSuccess/Vetsource Data Service’s success.
Other friends, new and old and in no particular order, who I crossed paths with at VMX (with pre-emptive apologies for missing anyone) include Brandon Hess, Caitlin DeWilde, Dave Nichol, Dan Holland, Drew Bartholomew, Mark DeWold, David Strauss, David Mervin, Galyna Danylenko, Craig Spinks, David Nietzke, Brei Silvia, Stacee Santi, Sarah Rumple, Connor Laurie, Stephen Kierton, and Brenda Tassava Medina. And a special shout out to my second cousin, Mike Wilson, who I saw for the first time in 30-something years.
VMX is an enormous event, and I walk away feeling inspired each year, but I regret that I couldn’t spend more time with every thinker, innovator, and doer there. If you’re hoping to catch a meeting with me in person, I’ll be at WVC this March. Otherwise, check out the VetBooks website or schedule a virtual meeting to chat about what’s new in our space and why I do what I do.
Cheers,
Martin
