Who We Are

Cavanti is the result of two peoples vision and a hardworking team, blended with equal parts determination and madness.

Gemma Wood

Gemma has over 25 years of practical experience designing and developing software for both small and large companies including Oracle, Accenture, Symantec and British Petroleum. Gemma has a lifelong passion for horses which began during her school years in the U.K. In 2011, Gemma decided it was time for a career change and completed her certification in Equinology Equine Body Worker (EEBW). She built up a successful equine massage business in the San Francisco Bay Area. Gemma quickly found that the burden of managing a business out of a paper notebook detracted significantly from her work and, drawing on her software background, began developing a few software tools to help her manage her business. Within no time, other practitioners were asking for copies of her software tools for their own businesses and this became the genesis of Cavanti.

Gemma now lives in Portugal and spends her spare time collecting geriatric rescue horses.

Melissa Gerber

Melissa is a molecular biologist by training but started her life long passion for horses at the age 6 in her home town of Newcastle, Australia. After a successful career in cancer research and new DNA sequencing technologies, Melissa decided in 2010 that it was time for a career change and chose to finally focus exclusively on her primary passion: equine health. She completed her certification in Equine Muscle Release Therapy (EMRT) in 2012 but quickly ran in to the paperwork burden associated with managing her business. She felt strongly that there had to be a better solution, and found it when she saw Gemma’s prototype. Melissa has a Bachelors of Science in Equine Studies from Charles Stuart University and a Master of Science in Molecular Biology from the University of Newcastle. 

Since starting Cavanti in 2012, Melissa has continued her endless struggle to be something other than a mediocre dressage rider, and lives with her family on their hobby farm surrounded by their assorted animals.