Len Podolsky, Co-Founder & Chief Development Officer at EverVet is committed to making a positive impact on the veterinary profession. Len ensures that EverVet offers practice owners a rewarding partner relationship – one that represents an ideal personal and professional synergy, provides their practice with a home, and nurtures its growth for years to come. Len and the EverVet Team are passionate about building an organization that provides support to veterinary hospitals and allows veterinarians to care for their teams so that they can provide excellent care to pets and pet parents.

Len Podolsky, Co-Founder & Chief Development Officer of EverVet Partners

The Pulse: Walk me through the EverVet story and discuss the events that led to you co- founding EverVet. When did you know that you wanted to start and run your own business? 

Len Podolsky: I knew fairly early on in my career that I wanted to build something. I spent the first few years out of college in pharmaceutical marketing, where I worked with GlaxosmithKline. At GSK, I had an opportunity to see what working at a big company looked like. After GSK, I realized that working at a big company was not a good fit for me, and that I had a lot of business skills I needed to learn. I was fortunate to transition to equity research and spent three years as an analyst, which was a really fantastic experience. I worked with our sales teams and incredibly smart investors and learned about the emerging healthcare information technology sector. It was then that I first met other builders and I saw what other management teams and entrepreneurs were able to cultivate from scratch or an existing business. One company which caught my attention was Athena Health, which Todd Park and Jonathan Bush had literally started in their garage.

My time at JP Morgan, after graduating from Wharton, was a continuation of my education journey in many ways. However, I was getting closer to my ultimate goal. After JP Morgan, I took a job at Connolly Healthcare, a payment integrity firm that was started and built by a family who had recently partnered with a private equity firm. It was a roll up your sleeve job, where I had to reorganize and restructure a small division. I learned a ton about management and leadership, how to motivate people, the building and re-building process, and most importantly, the importance of teamwork in getting anything done in an organization.

In 2015, I met with the founder and CEO of a Philadelphia-based veterinary services platform. The platform seemed like a really interesting opportunity to build something. I spent three years at Veterinary Practice Partners, and we took the business from 18 hospitals 50 plus. That was my first foray into the veterinary space.

Over the years, I stayed in close touch with a Wharton classmate who had an interest in veterinary services. It was with his thought partnership that my co-Founder and I started EverVet, which is built around the power of teamwork and complementary skill sets.

The Pulse: What have been the most rewarding aspects of founding EverVet and how do you motivate and push yourself through difficult periods?

LP: I have two incredible kids, and in many ways EverVet is my third. Some of the most rewarding days are when we hear from our veterinarians or staff some of the ways in which we’ve made a positive impact on their hospitals and their ability to provide great care for people’s furry family members.

In terms of challenges, every business goes through seasons. The most important thing is to take a step back, realize that you may be going through a tough period and focus on your core values. You always need to continue to take care of employees and continue to take care of clients. Good things eventually happen if you work hard and do the right thing.

As an entrepreneur, it’s also important to remember you’re not alone, you have peers. You have mentors. You have people to lean on. Maintaining connections and helping others, even when you get busy really has meant a lot to me.

The Pulse: When did you realize that EverVet was bigger than you and Joe. Was there a moment when you came to that realization or was it something that developed over time? It really develops over time. When did you realize that EverVet was bigger than you and Joe. Was there a moment when you came to that realization or was it something that developed over time?

LP: It really develops over time. In the early days I was really hands on with every tactical part of building the company, from configuring our CRM to doing every single financial model and all the diligence for a transaction. Now I have a great team that leads our partnership diligence, legal and integration efforts. So when I look at any part of our business that runs without my input, I get really happy – as a leader the greatest joy is building high-functioning teams that love to work together.

As EverVet has grown from a start-up, my role has evolved from doer to planner, and then to motivator and facilitator. At first, very, very slowly, and then a bit more quickly. It happens as you have more people to manage and are responsible for more than just yourself. Now it’s about me creating an environment for others, for the company, where other people feel motivated. It’s important that everyone understands the direction we need to go in and the mission of the Company.

The Pulse: Can you talk about the impact / role of your partner and co-founder?

LP: Partnerships are really important. Joe and I have very complementary skill sets. For anybody that’s looking to start a business with a partner, which I would definitely advise, it’s really nice to have some company on this journey. There are definitely moments where you’re like, what am I doing? Why am I doing this to myself? It helps to have someone by your side keeping you going, challenging ideas, providing a different viewpoint, commiserating on the tough days, and celebrating on the great days.

The Pulse: You mentioned that you have a great relationship with Joe and it’s really helped you grow the business. I think many people, myself included, see the benefits of having a partner and struggle finding a good match. Can you touch on how you met Joe, how the relationship developed, and how you eventually started a business together. 

LP: Joe and I met through a matchmaker actually, and that matchmaker was my good friend and Wharton classmate, Brian Berkin. Both Joe and I had individual relationships with Brian, and Brian saw two people with really great experience and complementary skill sets. Even before we started talking about EverVet, Brian introduced us and said, hey, you guys should be aware of each other. Joe and I had a lot of conversations before starting, talking through roles, motivations and how we were going to work together. We asked ourselves where the overlap was in the Venn diagram and where we had complementary skill sets. When you’re doing a startup, you work really closely together, but you still need some division of responsibilities.

Interviewed by Dan Varrichio, January 2024.

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On Feb 15-16, 2024, Wharton is excited to feature more expert perspectives at our annual Wharton Health Care Business Conference. This year’s conference is themed ‘The Resilience Edge.’ Conference details and tickets are available here.