Bill Broun

A St. Louis native, Bill Broun graduated with a B.S. in Aerospace engineering from Parks College of SLU and an MBA from Notre Dame in Finance/International.  He began career in finance with Procter & Gamble followed by roles as an equities research analyst with A. G. Edwards & Sons and as a commercial middle market banking with U.S. Bank N.A.  After joining Nestle Purina in 2006 and has held several roles in M&A, Innovation, Strategy heading the company’s efforts in digital business models (IoT, DTC, app based services, etc)  and corporate venturing.  Led the teams, which launched PurinaCare Insurance (later divested), established the company’s data science practice and the acquisitions of Waggin Train, Zukes, Petfinder and Merick.  Co-Founded 9-Square ventures for early-stage corporate venture investing in pet start-ups and serves on several boards of companies into which Nestle has invested.  He currently continues to lead the M&A effort and also focuses on building relationships with early-stage pet companies through the PetCare Innovation Prize and Network.