Our Team

Germin8 Team

Who We Are

Our world is evermore connected to food. Enabled by innovation in technologies and business models, food that is produced, sourced and consumed in the right ways, has the power to nourish the population, make us healthier, sustain our planet and strengthen our bonds with those who put the food on our table. There are founders who share this vision and have ambition to shift paradigms by 10x as opposed to 10%. 

Michael Lavin founded Germin8 as the partner that founders can count on, a venture fund with strategic capabilities, an angel approach, and we’re here to build with them.

Strategic, Independently-Minded and Nimble

Germin8’s leadership uniquely comprises a range of veterans and executives bringing highly-relevant experience from leading, global food & agriculture companies throughout the supply chain, technology companies and research institutions.

Through our experience, know-how and networks, Germin8 provides global perspectives, strategic expertise, unique access to expansive resources, independently-minded action and strong personal commitment.

Michael Lavin

Managing Partner

Michael Lavin founded and 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.

As Managing Partner, Michael oversees Germin8’s investing, operations and strategy, 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 health and empowering communities, Michael also advises and works with leading philanthropic organizations, grassroots social entrepreneurs and policy makers to deliver outsized impact. Michael has advised and continues to collaborate with the State of Alaska on food security initiatives and proudly serves on the Investment Subcommittee of National 4-H Council, a leading youth development organization serving six million youth across America.

Before founding Germin8 Ventures, Michael was an investment banker and consultant at Mesirow Financial, advising clientele ranging from closely-held founder- and family-owned companies to Fortune 500 corporations across a range of technology, agrifood, finance and other industry verticals. Michael also served on an executive team, leading highly-strategic internal corporate development advisory and M&A for Mesirow Financial, a global financial services firm managing more than $200 billion of assets.

Dr. Ashlie L Burkart

Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Ashlie Burkart is the Chief Scientific Officer at Germin8 Ventures. As a double-boarded anatomic and clinical pathologist with expertise in gastrointestinal/liver pathology, Dr. Burkart is uniquely skilled at investigating the causes and nature of gastrointestinal diseases, as well as the laboratory application of biologic, chemical and physical sciences. She also serves as Associate in the Environment and Natural Resources Program at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, the No. 1 university think tank in the world, and is a grant-funded researcher conducting gut barrier mechanistic studies with far reaching implications for human health and disease.

Drawing upon her deep pathology and research background, Dr. Burkart plays a key role in extending Germin8’s scientific capabilities and actively supporting Germin8 portfolio companies. Dr. Burkart’s extensive knowledge across health and nutrition, microbiome, agro-ecology, and climate alike positions her effectively as a medical-ecologist bringing intellectual horsepower to shepherd a new standard of care for people and the planet, enabled by our food. 

Dr. Burkart received a B.A. in biology from Brown University, where she graduated magna cum laude with an honors in neuroscience, and an M.D. from McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dr. Burkart completed residencies in anatomic pathology and clinical pathology at John Hopkins Medical Institutions, as well as a fellowship in gastrointestinal/liver pathology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She is a recipient of the Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching, the highest teaching award that is awarded by the graduating medical school class. Dr. Burkart was also awarded the National Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, which the medical college awards to “one faculty member who demonstrates both clinical excellence and outstanding compassion.” She is based in Pennsylvania.

Dr. Ashlie L Burkart

Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Ashlie Burkart is the Chief Scientific Officer at Germin8 Ventures. As a double-boarded anatomic and clinical pathologist with expertise in gastrointestinal/liver pathology, Dr. Burkart is uniquely skilled at investigating the causes and nature of gastrointestinal diseases, as well as the laboratory application of biologic, chemical and physical sciences. She also serves as Associate in the Environment and Natural Resources Program at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, the No. 1 university think tank in the world, and is a grant-funded researcher conducting gut barrier mechanistic studies with far reaching implications for human health and disease.

Drawing upon her deep pathology and research background, Dr. Burkart plays a key role in extending Germin8’s scientific capabilities and actively supporting Germin8 portfolio companies. Dr. Burkart’s extensive knowledge across health and nutrition, microbiome, agro-ecology, and climate alike positions her effectively as a medical-ecologist bringing intellectual horsepower to shepherd a new standard of care for people and the planet, enabled by our food. 

Dr. Burkart received a B.A. in biology from Brown University, where she graduated magna cum laude with an honors in neuroscience, and an M.D. from McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dr. Burkart completed residencies in anatomic pathology and clinical pathology at John Hopkins Medical Institutions, as well as a fellowship in gastrointestinal/liver pathology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She is a recipient of the Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching, the highest teaching award that is awarded by the graduating medical school class. Dr. Burkart was also awarded the National Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, which the medical college awards to “one faculty member who demonstrates both clinical excellence and outstanding compassion.” She is based in Pennsylvania.

Charles Holmes

Associate

Charles, an Associate at Germin8 Ventures, supports the senior leadership with investing, operations, strategy, and support of portfolio companies. Charles’ respect for and desire to serve enterprising founders driving transformational change in food and agriculture began in Oregon’s Wallowa Valley where he grew up surrounded by stewards of land and livestock and bore witness to winning business models, holistic resource management, and successful technology adoption. Charles applies his technical and sector knowledge to support Germin8’s mission to effect a positive transformation of the global food system.

Prior to Germin8, Charles served as Manager of Farm Innovation, M&A and Strategic Partnerships for Sensei Ag (Larry Ellison founded AgTech platform), a controlled environment agricultural producer, Investments Lead at Frontier Farmland (acquired by FBN), an AgTech platform designed to improve farming outcomes through technology, and as Investment Associate at Farmland LP, a stalwart in regenerative land management and organic farmland conversion. Charles began his career in investment banking at Sandler O’Neill & Partners (merged forming Piper Sandler), and Youngwoo & Associates LLC, an international real estate developer.

Charles received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Yale University and resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.