Disrupting legacy industry | Chelsea Rusche’s Match Pet Brands is breaking barriers in the pet space
Match pet Brands built a bio-matching data engine prototype for matching pets to the most ideal products on an ingredient level.
After spending a decade in New York City, working in operations for seven start-ups, launching two of her own companies, and connecting with leaders across various industries, Chelsea Rusche is ready to pursue her next venture—this time focusing on pet brands.
Rusche began her career at Bloomberg Finance, analyzing supply chains and asset management. It wasn’t long before the vibrant startup scene in New York caught her attention with the appeal of growing something from the ground up.
Growing up, Rusche learned to embrace change. Her father worked in aluminum manufacturing, frequently moving to fix or close underperforming plants. As a result, her family relocated roughly every 18 months. Over 18 years, she attended 12 different schools, including three different high schools.
Rusche eventually graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) Haslam College and decided to plant her life in New York. While most people fear change, she thrives on it.
“I had to be adaptable,” Rusche explained. “I learned how to talk to everyone and rebuild networks from scratch repeatedly. Moving so much, you must learn to be agile in navigating change.”
Her experiences living on both coasts of the U.S. and overseas helped her thrive in the fast-paced world of startups. In New York, she worked with well-known niche lifestyle brands-for-good that disrupted their given industries companies like Tough Mudder, Peloton cycle, Nourish Snacks, and Full Circle Brands.
“I’ve always been an adrenaline junkie,” she said. “Each new job was exciting and prepared me for the next one.”
These experiences led her to launch several of her own businesses, including Beyond Cryo, Health Atlas Guide, and most recently, Match Pet Brands— which are all also tied to health and wellness in different capacities.
“I have such a wide spectrum of exposure, crossing over industries and silos,” Rusche said. “I started in health and wellness for humans but found there’s an even greater need in the pet space. The interrelationship between pets and their humans holds a lot of power in improving human health and communities through pet health. That’s how Match Pet Brands got started.”
Match Pet Brands helps domestic and international brands, companies, and manufacturers break into the market, connecting them with manufacturers to produce their food, treats, and other items in bulk. The industry, she explained, is dominated by a few large players who control much of the production.
“It’s hard for smaller brands to break through,” Rusche said. “But with my cross-industry experience, I can help them do that.”
She’s currently working with a human cookie manufacturer to enter the pet product space and with a human nutraceutical manufacturer to bring new manufacturing and sourcing opportunities to the pet industry.
“I’m connecting dots that wouldn’t otherwise connect,” she said, predicting this could disrupt the current market structure.
In addition to consulting through Match Pet Brands, Rusche also connects pet brands with nonprofits and charities, allowing brands to donate products, digital real estate, and audience sharing in exchange for promotional attention. At this stage, she considers Match Pet Brands a consulting and curation company, though Rusche would tell you that this only scratches the surface of her work.
“Match Pet Brands is all about connecting people to create solutions that otherwise wouldn’t exist,” she said. “That’s my strength—walking into any room and appealing my business to different audiences.”
While living in Knoxville and building her consulting and curation company, Rusche is working out of the 121 Tech Hub in the Old City. She feels the 121 Tech Hub embodies the ambition and gumption she missed in past workspaces and colleagues, reminiscent of NYC’s high-intensity incubators and startup spaces.
“It’s a lot slower than New York,” she said. “But Knoxville’s community is relationship-driven. You can meet business leaders, connect with anyone locally, and build brand awareness with your neighbors.”
It’s been a change of pace from her usual grind, but for now, Rusche said it’s a good spot to build her business.
Learn more about Match Pet Brands.
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