About
Entrepreneur-investor, Michael Lavin, leads Germin8 Ventures as a purpose-driven venture capital firm with strong strategic backing from CEOs, entrepreneurs, technologists and financiers across the Food & Agriculture industry. He and Germin8 Ventures bring their combination of asymmetric strategic advantages, close-touch and high-conviction investment to the founding teams transforming the global food system. With a multidisciplinary team spanning deep sciences, technology, production agriculture and global supply chain management, Germin8 invests in the most transformational breakthrough technologies and business models, aiming to shape the next century of Agriculture and Food. Michael oversees Germin8’s investing and operations, as well as actively participates on the boards of invested companies. He serves on the boards of companies such as Avalo AI, Andes Bio, AgriWebb, Brightseed, Bushel, ENKO Chem, Matterworks AI and MyAgData. Deeply passionate about food security, population hea…
Experience
Managing Partner
Germin8 Ventures · Greater Chicago Area
Present
I run the investing and fund management activities of Germin8 Ventures, which is a multi-stage venture capital firm investing in transformative Food & AgTech with strong strategic backing. Our goal is to combine unique domain expertise with best-in-class investment approaches to support the most capable teams and technologies shaping the Agrifood sector in ways that have major positiv consequence on food security, population health, as well as the prosperity of producers and their local communities.
Mentor and Collaborator
TERRA Food & Ag Accelerator · San Francisco Bay Area
Mentor
Associate Board Member - Good Food Accelerator
FamilyFarmed · Greater Chicago Area
Mentor
1871 · Greater Chicago Area
Investment Banking Associate
Served as an investment banker at Chicago-based Mesirow Financial, successfully executing numerous M&A, capital raising and restructuring transactions across a variety of sectors, including food & agriculture, industrial technology, aerospace & defense, packaging and industrials for clientele ranging from boutique family- and founder-owned companies to the Fortune 500. In addition to primary investment banking responsibilities, I also served on Mesirow’s three person corporate development team and advised the board of directors on matters related to acquisitions, investments and divestitures, as well as other corporate strategy initiatives and personal investing by board members.
Associate, Mesirow Financial Consulting
Mesirow Financial · Chicago, Illinois
- Advised Fortune 500, leading legal and government clientele - Corporate Turnaround & Financial Restructuring - Litigation, Forensics, Investigative & Intelligence Services - Management Consulting
Restructuring & Turnaround Advisory Intern
Alvarez & Marsal · Chicago
Management Consulting Engagement - Led a team from the University of Illinois in a four-month project to develop an algorithm-based tool for Alvarez & Marsal to prospect potential clientele likely to face distress in six to eighteen months in the future.
Corporate Finance and Risk Management Intern
- Developed manual and policies for risk management best practices and protocols - Structured and negotiated equipment financings - Applied data analytics in the development of hedging strategies and formation of synthetic hedges - Investigated injury events and created preventative measures - Financial analysis
Education
Gies College of Business - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
M.S., Finance
Gies College of Business - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
B.S., Finance
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