Blackhorn Ventures

Omar S. just returned from an inspiring gathering at BuiltWorlds Venture East, where he represented Blackhorn Ventures and joined Maggie Kenefake (GP, Iron Prairie Ventures), Nils Wagner (CEO, REHAU Ventures), and Rod Lacy, PE (VP of Ops, Exodigo) to discuss key trends in early-stage investing within the built environment. The panel explored a range of impactful topics, with one theme resonating strongly with the audience: the accelerating pace of innovation. With growing access to advanced technology, building powerful solutions has never been easier. This wave of innovation brings immense opportunities to drive value quickly and make a real impact. However, startups face the crucial challenge of ensuring that they continue to innovate to maintain a unique edge over increasing competition over time. The four speakers discussed what they've seen successful built world start-ups take, including building to align with existing workflows, the power of good UI/UX, and a robust integration strategy.

This Veterans Day, the Blackhorn team celebrates and honors all who served to protect our freedoms and democracy. For their patriotism, love of country and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good, we honor Blackhorn Ventures Founders Zach Scheel, P.E. and Drew DeWalt (Rhumbix), Garrett Moore and Kyle Tompane (AGORUS), and Bret Boyd (Sustainment). Thank you for your service and dedication to building a more abundant future!

I'm excited to join the speaker line-up at the Impact & Transition Investor Summit: North America 2024, 12-13 November in New York. Use my speaker discount code ImpactNA24_Speaker for 10% off your delegate pass to join me at the conference. #ImpactNA #ImpactNA24 #SustainableFinance #PrivateMarkets #InvestorNetworking https://lnkd.in/gUby5k26

#OppsinEnergy Panel Highlight: Investing in the Future: Insights and Opportunities ⚡️💰 Join us for a panel of venture capitalists as they discuss current investment and market trends in the industry. The panelists will also share insights on the Tennessee Valley Authority Innovation Forecast, exploring how TVA’s technology roadmap may shape future investments in cleantech startups and drive new energy innovations. Panelists: ✅ Ben Duby, Tennessee Valley Authority ✅ Mark Loch, Blackhorn Ventures ✅ Representative from Ecosystem Integrity Fund ✅ Representative from Clean Energy Ventures Time is ticking - Secure your ticket before it’s too late! 👇 🎟️ https://lnkd.in/e8qczScz

How might falling interest rates influence the future of clean energy investments? As the cost of capital shifts, the energy sector could see new opportunities for growth. Future moves by the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates benefits energy companies via reduced borrowing costs. This potential move could stimulate investments in clean energy and infrastructure projects in a major way. This article from Heatmap News explores the implications of these changes and what they might mean for the energy transition. https://lnkd.in/g-4iqGJm #InterestRates #CleanEnergy #EnergyTransition #FederalReserve #SustainableFinance #RenewableEnergy

Meet Josh Wong, Founder and CEO of Blackhorn portfolio company ThinkLabs AI, Inc. Josh and his team are empowering critical industries and infrastructure with trustworthy AI. As a multi-time founder, Josh shares the genesis of his company, how engineering and AI come together in ThinkLabs' solutions, and his advice for aspiring AI entrepreneurs. This year is a critical time for grid transformation and the journey to net zero emissions, and we're excited to partner with ThinkLabs (along with co-investors Powerhouse Ventures, Active Impact Investments, Amplify Capital, and Mercuria) to empower grid operators with the tools they need to accelerate the energy transition. For the full interview, check out the link here: https://lnkd.in/gYn_Dtf8 #grid #ai #digitaltwin

Looking for a job in #Sales at a growing startup accelerating the industrial data revolution? Check out our Jobs Board for over 40 sales opportunities across 70+ Blackhorn Ventures portfolio companies, including Buzz Solutions, Latent AI, Electric Era, Circuit Mind, Formic, Ridepanda, and Datch. Join the Blackhorn Ventures Talent Network today. Quickly create your profile, describe your ideal job, and if there's a mutual fit, we'll make a warm intro for you! Link here: https://lnkd.in/gYHBTXNv #jobs #careers #startups

Today, we’re proud to add another proof point to our continued momentum: We just opened our first station with Costco Wholesale! Again and again, Electric Era’s battery-backed EV charging stations are adding value to customer retail locations. What did it look to team up with another stellar Washington-based company? Here are the details: Electric Era recently worked with Costco Wholesale to deploy fast EV charging stations at their Ridgefield, Washington, location. The challenge? Offer a reliable and rapid deployment solution in just seven weeks, a process that usually takes years. Costco had several essential objectives: • Speed: Meet tight deadlines without delaying the new store opening • Reliability: Provide consistent uptime for an optimal customer experience • Efficiency: Avoid costly grid upgrades and managing energy costs effectively Electric Era’s patented battery-backed technology and full end-to-end solution met Costco’s needs—delivering a comprehensive installation in a fraction of the industry standard timeline (7 weeks from project initiation to full operation). This collaboration didn’t just set a new standard for installation speed but demonstrated how our approach delivers rapid, reliable charging and aligns with retailer’s brand and customer value. Our CEO, Quincy Edmund Lee noted, “This installation exemplifies how Electric Era delivers on unmatched deployment speed and ensures reliable charging infrastructure to meet the growing demands of Costco’s EV-driving members.” EV charging isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s essential. Costco’s decision to choose Electric Era shows how forward-thinking retailers are transforming their operations to delight members. More here from Geekwire. Onwards and upwards! https://hubs.ly/Q02VG0Vp0

It’s rare to have one of your portfolio company Founders on the cover of Forbes. What’s even rarer is the singular vision and determination that we’ve seen from Emanuel Heisenberg, CEO of Blackhorn portfolio ecoworks.  For the last two years, we’ve been proud to partner with ecoworks in their mission to deliver greenhouse gas emissions reductions from renovated net-zero energy residential buildings. Construction, unlike other industrial sectors, is characterized by lumpy and unpredictable demand, which has resulted in the failure of virtually all CapEx-intensive residential prefabrication companies in the past, and has made construction prefab solutions a “no-go-zone” for most VC investors.   Based on the failure of “Operation Breakthrough” (the Federal government’s 1970s initiative to stimulate prefabrication in residential construction), and learnings from the failure of CapEx-heavy, integrated-value-chain, prefab solutions like that of Katerra, Veev and others, Blackhorn Ventures developed an investment thesis centered on capital-efficient prefab construction solutions. The acute and worsening shortage of skilled construction trade workers, the emissions savings that can be achieved from prefabrication, and the importance of accelerating construction schedules in a higher interest-rate environment make now the perfect time to scale companies like ecoworks.     When we first met Emanuel, ecoworks had a unique prefabricated, modular, insulated roof and façade overlay solution to upgrade the energy efficiency of the least energy-efficient apartment buildings in Germany — so energy inefficient that they would no longer be legal to rent after 2030 — and to replace gas and oil furnaces in these buildings with electric heat pumps powered by solar PV.   Alongside co-investors PT1, Zacua Ventures, World Fund, Sabanci Holding, WAREMA GROUP, ALP.X Group, Huf Group, Haniel, KOMPAS VC and ISAI we’re committed to the growth and scale of solutions like ecoworks that transform how we build, power, and move our world. Read the Forbes article here: https://lnkd.in/d_F3YKRr

NEW FUNDING: We’re proud to announce the successful close of King Energy's $10 million funding round led by ArcTern Ventures with participation from existing investors Blackhorn Ventures, Active Impact Investments, and Next Frontier Capital. Blackhorn originally invested in King Energy in 2022 with the thesis that solar financing and billing innovations are needed to drive forth adoption of clean energy. Today, King Energy is rapidly growing, managing nearly 200 energy programs at multi-tenant commercial properties, serving more than 25 million square feet of tenant space. John Witchel is the CEO of King Energy with a strong record of building and scaling successful companies. John’s experience in finance and renewable energy enabled him to build an exceptional leadership team of seasoned industry experts to lead King Energy’s expansion. We couldn't be more thrilled to continue our partnership with him. Check out our Founder Interview video below for insights from John on his views on the energy transition For more information on their financing announcement, check here: https://lnkd.in/eAJC5rFx To explore open job opportunities at King Energy, check here:  https://lnkd.in/gSCqmw_i #solar #innovation #cleanenergy #VC