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.
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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
Overview
Chris Sklarin is Managing Partner of the Castor Fund at Alumni Ventures, where for over seven years he has led investments in transformative technology companies redefining how we compute, communicate, and cure. He has deployed more than $120 million across all stages—from seed to growth—building Castor Ventures and expanding the portfolio to over 150 companies. The Castor portfolio features industry leaders such as Algorand, Boldin, Capital RX, Enable, Groq, Ocient, Qedma, RapidSOS, Synchron, and Unlearn AI, each tackling high-impact problems with ambitious solutions.
With over 20 years in venture capital and more than a decade in product development and sales engineering, Chris has also held venture roles focused on enterprise and mobile investments, served as Director of Business Development at a biomedical venture accelerator and an early-stage firm, and sourced seed-stage deals at JumpStart, a nationally recognized venture development organization in Cleveland. Chris holds an SB in Electrical Engineering from MIT and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.
Funds actively worked on
- Castor Ventures
- Syndications
Investment Areas of Focus:
Chris targets companies at the forefront of software, AI, data infrastructure, and connectivity, backing teams that are not just innovating but reengineering the physical and digital infrastructure powering the modern world. He believes the next generation of breakthrough companies will emerge from foundational shifts in technology and is committed to supporting the leaders driving that transformation.
A core component of Chris’s strategy is leveraging the powerful innovation engine of the MIT ecosystem. As an MIT alumnus, he taps this network to source compelling investment opportunities and connect with top-tier investors. Chris’s investment approach is informed by his early career as a software and sales engineer, with technical expertise in databases, telecom systems, and software architecture. This hands-on background sharpens his diligence and ability to assess technical complexity and market viability.
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.