In this episode, Hall welcomes Dr. Raymond Levitt, Operating Partner at Blackhorn Ventures LP.
Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, Blackhorn Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in companies using breakthroughs in engineering and science, coupled with the infrastructure of the information revolution, to redefine resource productivity. They have three funds: an early-stage seed fund, an early growth fund that invests in A Rounds, and the Blackhorn Select Fund that makes larger investments of growth capital for its most successful portfolio companies.
Raymond was nominated to this year’s BuiltWorlds Mavericks List in the Investor Category because, along with his partners at Blackhorn Ventures, he has become one of the most prolific investors in built environment startups. Ray and his team at Blackhorn Ventures have made at least twenty investments in an impressive array of “built environment” startups, including Agorus, ALICE, Briq, ClimateAI, CoFi, Drawboard, Dwellsy, Foresight, FutureProof, Hive Technologies, Humatics, Hyperframe, Manufacton, Modulous, Near Space Labs, Pype, QuoteToMe, Safehub, Safesite, Toggle, Ultra High Materials, and Veerum.
He traces his work on digital technology applied to the built environment back to the mid-eighties when he spent a sabbatical leave from Stanford as an intern at IntelliCorp, which was then commercializing an early software platform for rapidly developing AI solutions. During that period, he collaborated with Dr. John Kunz to develop PLATFORM, the first application of AI to the management of construction and other projects.
Ray serves as President of the Farmers Investment Club, a group of Stanford-linked angel investors that was an early investor in Plangrid, eSub, Kahua, Aurora Solar, and dozens of other early-stage startups.
Ray advises entrepreneurs and investors and shares some of their challenges. He discusses what excites him now in the industry and how he sees it evolving.
You can visit Blackhorn Ventures LP at https://blackhornvc.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/blackhorn-ventures/.
Ray can be contacted via email at ray@blackhornvc.com, and via LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/raymond-levitt-22b5818/.
Music courtesy of Bensound.
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