Start-up Dog Care Matching Service

Never graduated from high school but smart enough to understand the risks and rewards in creating a new business.  

FORMAL EDUCATION

AH was born in Philadelphia. He attended public schools in Philadelphia but never graduated because he went straight to Swarthmore College after his junior year, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and later a Master’s degree in business administration from UCLA.

EARLY EMPLOYMENTS

Organized and practical his whole life, AH worked for several Los Angeles-based venture capital firms, created several of his own start-ups and served as a venture capital partner in a firm that funds technologies in life sciences and health care. 

RANDOM OBSERVATION OF FAMILY DOG LEADS TO BUSINESS IDEA

In his early 30s, AH’s family included his wife, a dog, and several young children. Noting that their dog seemed anxious and out of sorts after a stay at a kennel, he and his wife founded DogVacay, an online service that matched dog owners with people willing to care for their pets in their own homes when the family is away. Five years later, after experiencing huge business growth, they merged their business with Rover.com and founded a new business called Gallant to help pet owners collect and store stem cells from tissue that is usually discarded during a pet’s spay or neuter operation. The cells can then be used later as regenerative agents in medical procedures.

CREATIVE SALES TECHNIQUES

AH showed his skill to attract investors to Gallant and touch their hearts when he appeared on the TV show Shark Tank. He brought a basket of puppies to the set and had the investors cuddle them while he gave his pitch for funding, which was rewarded by their offer to invest $500,000 in his new business. 

UNFLAPPABLE BUT NOT IMMORTAL

His brother observed that AH was a steady person, in both his business and family worlds. “He was unflappable in business and in life.” Unfortunately, AH died in a tragic boating accident at age 42 but until then, he had led a loving family life and concurrently a successful business life, relying on his judgment for which potential business models could likely succeed, based on his perception of the needs of future customers and how to turn those needs into a profitable cash flow.