Moderated by Cameron Nagle, host of Starting Small

On his podcast, Nagle interviews CEOs, founders and entrepreneurs, discussing how their organizations and businesses were created from the ground up.

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Speakers will be sharing insight on:

• The entrepreneurial journey
• Discovering your passion and purpose
• Building the right team
• Accelerating growth through delegation
• Owning your niche
• Innovation in a moving society

Speakers

Alex Douxet, Co-Founder of Ollie & CEO of Pumpkin®

Alex Douzet is the co-founder and CEO of Pumpkin®, the highest-rated pet insurance provider on Google as of January 2024, and one of the fastest growing pet insurance and wellness brands in the U.S. Pumpkin’s mission is to enable all cats and dogs to live their healthiest lives by removing the economic barriers that can prevent pet owners from providing their pets with veterinary care.

Under Alex’s leadership, Pumpkin’s best-in-class insurance plans help make it easier for pet owners to provide their dogs and cats with advanced veterinary treatments, emergency care, and alternative or rehabilitative therapies if needed. Alex has also spearheaded a series of optional, non-insurance wellness products to help cover routine costs for essential preventive care, like vaccines and annual wellness visits.
Throughout his 20-year career as a serial entrepreneur, Alex has disrupted industries, scaled businesses, and built ‘people-first’ companies where employees grow and thrive. Prior to Pumpkin, he spent five years as CEO and Co-founder of Ollie, a next-gen, natural, and human-grade pet food brand.

Alex is also a competitive Triathlete and an 11X Ironman finisher. He is proud to have two rescue dogs: Belle, a 13-year-old Shar Pei Golden Retriever mix and Simon, a 6-year-old Dachshund mix.

Suze Dowling, Co-Founder & Chief Business Officer at Pattern Brands

Suze Dowling is the Chief Business Officer at Pattern Brands, leveraging her extensive experience in the early-stage landscape to drive the company’s revenue and business operations.

In her capacity as Chief Business Officer, Suze collaborates closely with the CEO, leadership team, and Board of Directors to actualize Pattern’s full potential and meet its projected goals. Her purview spans all operational facets of the company, including the establishment of new functions geared towards fostering sustainable growth. This encompasses oversight of Brand General Management, Revenue, and Core Shared Service Functions.

A recognized thought leader in the industry, Suze is sought after to share insights on scaling omnichannel growth, achieving profitability, and optimizing brand performance at prestigious industry events. Her expertise and perspectives are also regularly featured in prominent business and consumer press outlets. Passionate about helping founders navigate the intersection of innovation and practicality, Suze’s playbook, The DTC Operator, is a ‘how-to’ for turning entrepreneurial vision into reality.

From guiding entrepreneurs through the ideation phase to navigating multiple successful exits, Suze has been instrumental in shaping the trajectory of numerous ventures. Before co-founding Pattern, Suze held the position of General Manager at Gin Lane, a prominent NY-based independent agency specializing in launching challenger start-ups. Here, she excelled in balancing growth, profitability, and quality while overseeing the agency’s P&L. During her tenure, Gin Lane played a pivotal role in launching over 50 digitally native vertical brands, including Harry’s, Hims, and SmileDirectClub, contributing to a staggering $15 billion in aggregate startup value.

Originally hailing from Australia, Suze graduated with Honors from the University of Technology, Sydney.

James (Jim) W. Keyes, Former CEO of 7-Eleven and Blockbuster, Inc.

James (Jim) W. Keyes is a global business leader, best selling author, philanthropist, artist, musician, commercial pilot, and modern renaissance man. He is the former CEO of two internally recognized Fortune 500 companies, 7-Eleven, Inc. and Blockbuster, Inc. His other business interests cover a broad range of industries from retail, consumer products, technology, healthcare, cyber security, new space, energy, and advanced nuclear. He sits on several public company boards and serves as a board adviser to a venture capital firm and a number of start-up companies.

Keyes’ philanthropic initiatives have an equally broad focus, including serving a three-term seat on the Board of Governors for the American Red Cross, acting as the former Chairman of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and serving on the board of directors for institutions such as UT Southwestern Medical School, Cooper Institute, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Dallas Performing Arts Center, SMU Cox School of Business, Columbia Business School, and his alma mater, College of the Holy Cross. He has had a lifelong commitment to education, serving as a founding director of the Dallas Education Foundation and is the founder of the Education Is Freedom Foundation. He is the author of Education is Freedom: The Future Is in Your Hands which provides the “what,” “why,” and “how” of learning. It outlines the importance of education for all mankind, the power of education to change our world, and the wisdom to unlock our personal freedom while reserving our democracy.

Keyes is a personification of the American Dream, as he comes from humble beginnings. He was inducted in 2005 as a Member of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. In 2024, he received the Robert S. Folsom Leadership Award presented by Methodist Health System Foundation to recognize demonstrated community leadership.

Cameron Nagle, Starting Small

22’ Bethel Grad, Cameron Nagle launched Starting Small in January 2020 with the vision to share transparent startup stories to inspire and provide guidance for aspiring entrepreneurs that everyone starts small. Through a credible and fast growing list of recognizable brands, Starting Small has scaled to host the annual Starting Small Summit, flying in founders such as Reebok, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Kodiak Cakes, and more. Starting Small has now covered the stories of 220 industry leading founders, amassing over $40 billion in annual revenue.

In 2022, Cameron relocated to LA to launch brain wellness startup, MOSH alongside co-founders Maria Shriver and Patrick Scwarzenegger, as the third member of the founding team. In their first year, MOSH generated +$6M in revenue, released 4 new flavor launches, and activated growth campaigns with Delta airlines, A-list celebrities and more. In 2023, Cameron also applied for Schwarzenegger and Shriver to go on ABC’s Shark Tank, in which you can see that appearance in Season 15.

Now, Cameron resides in Elkhart, IN, working in marketing at Kem Krest, a total supply chain company for leading auto OEM’s. Relocating back to his roots was a long term decision for the growth of Starting Small and the summit locally and to make an impact on the entrepreneurship ecosystem here in the Michiana community.

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