Working in cybersecurity, Kwinton Scarbrough was attuned to how people connect. In the real world, they do it by meeting in person and can trust each other, but online that trust wasn’t there.

He noticed that dog parks provide a face to face setting for building valuable social networking connections between people of shared values. So, he set out building PawConX as a more trusted social network for pet owners and the businesses that serve them.

EQ interviewed Kwinton about what he’s doing and why. His responses below were edited for length and clarity.

Describe pet tech and what you do.

The Pet-tech industry is about integrating technology in the everyday things you do with and for your pet. At PawConX we utilize technology to help dog owners meet and connect with other dog owners, to schedule playdates and share useful and trustworthy information on how to best care for their pet.

[Specifically], PawConX is a social community app designed to help dog owners meet and connect to create a pack of trustworthy community peers to share in the experience of pet ownership.

Just like a dog pack in the wild, PawConX helps its users to build a pack of trusted like-minded dog owners to leverage the collective knowledge and experience of their pack. When looking for pet care, PawConX helps users to quickly crowdsource their purchasing decisions and seek the opinions of their pack and fellow PawConX peers before and after buying.

How diverse and inclusive is pet tech?

The Pet industry is one of the most diverse and inclusive industries that exist today. Each pet service provider has a unique skill, personality and differentiator that naturally makes the industry diverse. However, every business in this industry is a lover of pets, [making] sure the pets are happy no matter [who is] chosen as the pet service provider.

Who are your favorite people in pet care and why?

My favorite people are the owners and employees of small local pet business providers. Each service provider has unique personalities and skillsets that help dog owners match with whoever best fits their dog’s identity and reflects their personal values.

Where and by whom is the most promising work in pet tech being done?

We hate to brag but PawConX is doing some of the most promising work in the field. We are creating a way to encourage more businesses to join the pet industry and be successful, by simply focusing on what they do best — providing quality service to their customers

What do you do to keep your batteries charged?

Take days off to let what I’ve learned come together to create new ideas, which gives me energy to act on those ideas and bring them into fruition.