About Us

Three cats, one tabby, one long-haired gray, and one black and white, sitting close together.

Our beloved felines can live healthier, longer, happier lives when humans are more proactive, by giving the cat a voice in their own care.

We believe animals deserve healthier, longer lives and that starts with giving them a voice in their own care. Too often, signs of illness or pain in pets go unnoticed, especially in cats, who have a natural instinct to hide discomfort. Cats are the most common pet in North America, but only one in three receives regular veterinary care.  This gap inspired us to create a tool that brings more care to cats, even between vet visits.

We create predictive healthcare products to interpret animal behavior and subtle physical cues, with a focus on feline pain detection. Our AI-powered technology is built on rigorous veterinary science and validated feline pain scales, analyzing facial expressions to enable earlier and more accurate detection of pain. This helps pet owners and veterinary professionals act quickly—improving quality of life for pets everywhere..

A woman with blonde, shoulder-length hair wearing a black blazer standing with her arms crossed against a pink geometric background.

Our Story

Sylvester.ai was founded by animal health entrepreneur Susan Groeneveld. Inspired by a personal loss and her experience across multiple animal health companies, Susan saw the urgent need for better tools to detect pain in cats. The heartbreak of losing her farm cat, Jack, who silently suffered, fueled her determination to change how the world understands feline health.

Work With Us

Meet the Team

  • A woman with blonde hair smiling and crossing her arms, wearing a black shirt with a pink background.

    Susan Groeneveld, BSc.(Ag)

    FOUNDER, CEO

    25+ years in animal health and tech. Co-founder of Cat Healthy. Award-winning entrepreneur.

  • Close-up of a smiling man with short, styled blond hair, wearing a dark blazer over a blue shirt, set against a pink background.

    Mike Berg

    CTO

    Extensive experience leading multiple AI products across finance, energy, health and marketing industries.

  • Woman with blonde hair and glasses smiling, wearing a white floral top, against a pink background.

    Frances Valentine, Ph.D.

    LEAD ANIMAL BEHAVIORIST

    Expert in animal behavior and 20 years of experience working with shelter cats in North America’s largest no kill shelter.

  • Nadja Skale

    GROWTH AND MARKETING

    Expert in animal health growth and marketing, driving customer acquisition, brand awareness, and scalable growth. Former Marketing Director at Basepaws.

  • Woman with glasses holding a smiling, closed-eye orange and white cat against pink background

    Heather Ashcroft

    ENGAGEMENT

    Bridging the gap between veterinary professionals and cat caregivers with 20+ years in general practice, urgent care, shelter medicine, and animal welfare.

  • A smiling man in a white lab coat holding a small cat with tabby markings against a pink background.

    Dr. Matt McGlasson

    VETERINARY INFLUENCER

    DVM, leading social media influencer with a science based approach

  • A young woman with curly hair and fair skin standing next to a large dog with black and white fur against a pink background.

    Elisabeth Madison

    CUSTOMER SUPPORT

    15 years experience in helping people connect with brands

  • A young woman with long brown hair, glasses on her head, smiling and holding a small black and brown tortoiseshell kitten against a pink background.

    Amber LaRock, LVT

    SOCIAL MEDIA

    Vet tech with 10+ years in the veterinary space, creating educational and engaging content

Our Advisors

Our team is supported by a coalition of AI experts, veterinarians, data scientists, and operational leaders passionate about transforming pet and veterinary care.

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    Dr. Sheilah Robertson

    VETERINARY ADVISOR

    BVMS (Hons), PhD, DACVAA, DECVAA, DACAW, DECAWBM (WSEL), CVA, MRCVS

    Board certified in anesthesia and animal welfare by the respective American and European Colleges.

  • Woman with short reddish-brown hair and piercing blue eyes wearing an orange sweater, holding a small fluffy dog, standing in front of a pink background.

    Anna Zamansky, Ph.D.

    ANIMAL PAIN & AI EXPERT ADVISOR

    Full Professor of Computer and Information Science at the University of Haifa, Head of Tech4Animals Lab developing AI solutions for animal behavior analysis. A leading expert in animal-centered AI and AI-based animal pain recognition.

  • A woman with short brown hair and hazel eyes smiling while holding a small fluffy kitten with gray and white fur against a pink geometric background.

    Dr. Liz Ruelle

    VETERINARY ADVISOR

    DVM, DABVP (Feline); founder at Wild Rose Cat Clinic.

  • A woman with light brown hair and brown eyes is smiling and holding an orange and white cat close to her face against a pink background.

    Kristin Wuhrman

    ENTREPRENUER & PET CARE INDUSTRY ADVISOR

    Respected leader and consultant in feline care and industry knowledge

  • A woman with short gray hair holding a young orange tabby cat. The woman is smiling and wearing a dark jacket, earrings, and a nose ring. The cat is looking directly at the camera, wearing a purple harness. The background is pink with a subtle geometric pattern.

    Ellen Carozza

    FELINE-CENTRIC VETERINARY TECHNICIAN ADVISOR

    LVT, VTS (CP-Feline)

    Award winning, feline-centric veterinary technician with nearly 30 years of experience in veterinary medicine.

How We Work

Scientific Rigor

Our technology is built on validated science and trained on a vast, expertly and internally labeled dataset. Ongoing datasets continue to grow with strategic data licensing agreements with feline industry organizations.

Objective Assessment

AI reduces bias in pain detection compared to human observation.

Clinically Trusted

Used by veterinary clinics and integrated platforms for real-time, non-invasive pain detection and cat caregiver compliance.

Gray British Shorthair cat lying down with orange eyes, facing forward.

Continuous Learning

Every image processed improves our models, making them smarter over time.