Webinar
How Castor Ventures Invests in AI
Watch an on-demand presentation on how Castor Ventures is currently harnessing the power of AI to drive innovation and growth. The team offers their industry perspective and shares some recent investments in AI companies in their portfolio.
See video policy below.
Post Webinar Summary
Chris Sklarin, Managing Partner at Castor Ventures, part of Alumni Ventures, welcomed participants to a webinar focused on Castor Ventures’ investments in AI. He emphasized that the presentation was for informational purposes and not an offer to buy or sell securities. The session included an overview of Castor Ventures, Alumni Ventures, and their approach to investing in AI companies. Sklarin highlighted Castor Ventures’ success in building a diversified portfolio, particularly within the MIT community, and their collaborative approach to sourcing and diligence. Darshan, a principal at Castor Ventures, detailed the firm’s unique investment strategy, including its focus on diversified portfolios across various stages, sectors, and geographies, and its partnerships with leading venture capital firms. The discussion also touched on several AI companies in Castor Ventures’ portfolio, illustrating the breadth of their AI investments and their impact across different industries.
During this session, we will discuss:
- HomeThe goal and structure of the fund
- HomeThe value of the Alumni Ventures’ model
- HomeSome examples of current portfolio companies
- HomeThe benefits of diversifying into venture capital
- HomeThe minimum requirements needed to invest in the fund
About Alumni Ventures
Top 20 VC Investors in North America (2024)
#1 Most Active Venture Firm in the U.S. (2023)
#1 Most Active Venture Firm in the U.S. (2022)
World's Most Innovative Companies (2022)
Note: You must be accredited to invest in venture capital. Important disclosure information can be found at av-funds.com/disclosures.
About your presenters
Chris has 30+ years of experience in venture capital, product development, and sales engineering. As an investor, he has deployed over $100 million into companies across all stages, from seed to growth/venture. At AV, Chris has built Castor Ventures from Fund 2 – 7 to over 150 portfolio companies. Prior to Castor, Chris was a Vice President at Edison Partners, where he focused on Enterprise 2.0 and mobile investments. Previously, Chris served as Director of Business Development at a biomedical venture accelerator and at an early-stage venture firm. Earlier in his investing career, as part of JumpStart, a nationally recognized venture development organization, Chris sourced and executed seed-stage investments. Chris received his SB in Electrical Engineering from MIT in 1988 and his MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
Principal, Castor
Darshan has over a decade of experience serving as an early-stage investor and financial services professional. Prior to Alumni Ventures, Darshan was the Head of Investments at H/L Ventures for the firm’s venture studio, H/L Studio, and growth funds, CityRock Venture Partners. Darshan specialized in early-stage opportunities across sectors, including Fintech, Healthcare, Energy Infrastructure, and enterprise SaaS. Darshan led the firm’s multi-faceted investment strategy and provided advisory services to entrepreneurs on go-to-market, growth strategy, and business development. Prior to joining H/L Ventures, Darshan was an MBA Associate at Scout Ventures, focusing on seed-stage investments in dual-use frontier technologies. Before transitioning to Venture Capital, Darshan worked in Deutsche Bank’s Sales & Trading practice, serving as a Relationship Manager to some of the world’s leading asset managers, pension funds, and insurance companies. At Deutsche Bank, Darshan helped clients optimize their portfolio alpha through equity and debt lending strategies. Darshan holds his MBA from Georgetown University and his B.S. in Finance from Rutgers University.