Blackhorn Ventures

U.S. utilities faced a ~70% jump in cyberattacks this year vs. last year, according to data from Check Point Research. As the grid expands to meet surging electricity demand, and supply side assets becomes more digitized and distributed, risk increases. In partnership with Tennessee Valley Authority cybersecurity leaders Melissa Livesey (Director, Cybersecurity Risk Management at Tennessee Valley Authority), Joe Tellez (Senior Director of Digital Cloud Strategy & Business Development at TRC Companies, Inc.), and Ron Tiberg-Shachar (CEO & Co-Founder at SaiFlow) we recently explored cybersecurity challenges facing utilities today, where solutions are needed and how they get vetted, and opportunities to safeguard our critical infrastructure. With existing portfolio companies like Buzz Solutions, we're committed to spending more time in this space in 2025 looking for new opportunities.

✨ Our CEO Tim Weiss joined Nasdaq's Trade Talks today to chat about large corporations' role in the global energy transition. Watch for a thoughtful discussion about renewable energy, value chain decarbonization, and mounting motivations for companies to plan for a low-carbon economy. Great to be joined by Brian Kane of Powin as well for his insights on the market for renewable energy storage. Link to the full interview in comments!

Blackhorn Ventures had the opportunity to convene portfolio companies and LPs last week for a webinar hosted by Bill Ritter (Blackhorn Operating Partner and Former Colorado Governor). In this virtual “AMA” session, we covered a wide range of topics regarding policy implications on IRA survivability, tariffs, housing, and domestic manufacturing. We included some takeaways in the below document. Bill Ritter’s insights underscored the nuanced interplay between federal and state policies, encouraging Blackhorn and its portfolio companies to remain agile and informed in navigating these dynamics. Former Governor Bill Ritter was elected Colorado’s 41st governor in 2006. During his four-year term, Ritter established Colorado as a national and international leader in clean energy by building a New Energy Economy. After leaving the Governor’s Office, Ritter founded the Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University, which works with state and federal policy makers to create clean energy policy throughout the country. #IRA #policy #tariffs #manufacturing

Investments in mining tech are insufficient to meet growing demand that may 40X over the next 15 years. Amplified by supply chain risks in critical minerals and metals, this historically overlooked sector is suddenly in vogue. Over the last year, Blackhorn partnered with Columbia Business School and Columbia Engineering through a course led by Alan West, Bruce Usher, and Dave Kirkpatrick to dig deeper into this dynamic sector. We're excited to share some of our takeaways; please reach out if you're a founder building in this space, or an investor putting capital to work. #criticalminerals #electrification #supplychain

Formic (a Blackhorn Ventures portfolio company) is revolutionizing manufacturing with their industrial Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) platform. Check out their "State of CPG Manufacturing 2025" survey below for early access to report findings and a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card.

New product announcement - ThinkLabs AI, Inc. is proud to announce the launch of our commercially available real time #DistributionSystemStateEstimator (DSSE) based on physics-informed AI - a game changer in providing electric grid situational awareness for complex and high DER distribution networks. DSSE is a specialized module that can stand alone as an analysis engine or integrated with an ADMS or DERMS. Grid visibility is the foundational element for grid reliability, safety, and net-zero readiness. Meters, line sensors, and telemetry are necessary, but distribution networks remains vast and sparsely measured. Traditional model-based DSSE have struggled for decades to achieve sufficient accuracy and data robustness for trustworthy power flow in less than ideal grid conditions. I’m proud to share that ThinkLabs AI, Inc. is a winner in the #3DSolarVisibility Prize by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the American-Made Program. We were awarded $50,000 for creating one of the most accurate algorithms and tools in the competition to detect how much solar power is in the electricity grid at a given point in time. By creating a noteworthy tool, my team is playing a small part in catalyzing research and development on grid modernization. More specifically, our work enables utility companies and grid operators to make better informed decisions that optimize the distribution of solar energy technologies.     Our tool, along with other competitors’, were tested daily over a two-week period in two distribution networks through the publicly available, open-source data and software platform, Open Energy Data Initiative Solar Integration (OEDI SI). The OEDI SI team then compared participants’ performance against a set of industry standard metrics and selected ThinkLabs AI, Inc. as a top-performing team. Check out more about the prize and the other winning teams: https://lnkd.in/gDgQJCEJ #Solar #Data #Forecasting.  Big congrats to ThinkLabs AI, Inc. team members Gang (George) Zheng, P.E., P.Eng., SMIEEE Reza Roofegari nejad and Yan Zhang! If you're a utility or partner looking to implement best-in-class real time DSSE, constraints and violation detection, and automatic solution generation, please contact us to find out more!

We are pleased to share that Blackhorn Ventures will be a host fund for Impact Capital Managers 2025 Mosaic Fellowship program! Designed for graduate students, Mosaic isn’t just a summer program—it’s a launchpad for impact-focused careers. Fellows connect with peers, mentors, and leaders across the impact investing ecosystem all while being paid a competitive stipend. In their own words: "This program solidified my desire to pursue impact investing.” - 2020 Mosaic Fellow “I was completely blown away by the structure and programming provided by ICM this summer. I feel privileged to be part of this community and would recommend the fellowship to anyone considering a career in impact investing.” - 2023 Mosaic Fellow “The Mosaic Fellowship is an incredible network and experience that has supported me in my impact VC journey.” - 2021 Mosaic Fellow Applications close December 2 at 11:59 PM ET Learn more here and apply today: https://lnkd.in/eMCJ5Dw6

"America's most popular export is an empty container" As US ports on the East and Gulf Coasts face strikes and delays ahead of the holiday season, an unexpected problem is emerging: the surge of empty containers being exported. This Quartz article highlights how labor disputes and supply chain disruptions are leading to an imbalance, with more containers leaving the US without goods. For exporters, this creates challenges in managing costs and logistics, while also highlighting broader issues in global trade flows. Article here: https://lnkd.in/ggwC8RbN #supplychain #disruptions #containers #strikes #logistics

As the grid evolves to meet rising demand, it's clear we must rethink how we price energy, embrace distributed generation, and transform the utility business model. Special thanks to Alan Neuhauser, Axios, Robin Lanier, John Witchel, Josh Wong and other friends shaping the future of energy who participated in our #climateweeknyc event. #NYClimateWeek #NYCClimateWeek2024 #ClimateAction #EnergyTransition

How are AI agents accelerating the energy transition? Check out our interview with Josh Wong, Founder & CEO of Blackhorn portfolio company ThinkLabs AI, Inc., here ---> https://lnkd.in/gTNZq-EU #grid #ai #digitaltwin