Webinar
The Rise of Physical AI: How Intelligent Machines Are Reshaping the Real World
Join Alumni Ventures’ Ron Levin and Jason Bird of the Seed Fund for a look at how physical AI is moving out of research labs and into the factories, warehouses, and infrastructure that run the real world — and why embodied intelligence is shaping up to be one of the most consequential venture opportunities of the decade.
In this session, Ron Levin and Jason Bird will explore the rise of physical AI — the fast-moving intersection of robotics, autonomous systems, and embodied intelligence that’s reshaping how we manufacture, move, and operate in the physical world. The conversation will cover what genuinely qualifies as “physical AI” versus traditional automation, why the timing has finally arrived after decades of false starts, and where the AV Seed Fund team is seeing the most compelling early-stage opportunities across industrial robotics, autonomous machines, and AI-native hardware companies.
Whether you’re a current Seed Fund investor sharpening your view on physical AI, an accredited investor evaluating the sector for the first time, or a private-market investor thinking about how physical AI connects to broader themes in defense, industrial rebuild, and automation, this session will give you a grounded, investor-focused look at one of the most consequential shifts in venture today. Register to hear directly from the team building the portfolio — and bring your questions.
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Why Attend?
- HomeDiscover what makes physical AI fundamentally different from traditional automation and software AI — and why founders and investors are treating it as the next major venture wave
- HomeUnderstand how the AV Seed Fund evaluates early-stage physical AI companies and where the team sees the most compelling opportunities forming across robotics, autonomous machines, and AI-native hardware
- HomeHear directly from the founders building physical AI companies — what they're seeing on the ground, where the real bottlenecks are, and what most investors are missing
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Alumni Ventures is America’s largest venture capital firm for individual investors.
About your presenters
Overview:
Ron brings a dynamic blend of operational leadership, global business acumen, and values-driven investing to early-stage venture capital. As Managing Partner and Head of the AV Seed Fund at Alumni Ventures, he leads investments in bold, frontier technologies that span sectors and geographies. Ron’s experience ranges from founding and scaling unicorn-status startups to guiding impact-focused portfolios that generate both financial and societal returns.
Before joining Alumni Ventures in 2019, Ron served on the Investment Committee at Yard Ventures, AV’s fund for the Harvard community. His own entrepreneurial journey includes co-founding and leading TravelPerk, an enterprise travel management platform that reached multibillion-dollar valuation and global scale. Prior to that, he launched the B2B division of Booking.com and held strategic roles at McKinsey & Co., US Airways, the Maersk Group, and Lycos.
Ron studied entrepreneurship at Babson College and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School. A frequent speaker at global investor conferences and guest on top VC podcasts, he is also a passionate world traveler—having visited over 140 countries and all 50 U.S. states. He resides near Boston with his wife and three young children, and shares personal reflections and industry insights at ronlevin.substack.com.
Funds Actively Worked On:
- Seed Fund
- Yard Ventures
Investment Areas of Focus:
Ron’s investment strategy is grounded in the belief that moonshot ideas—when coupled with great execution—can generate asymmetric outcomes. He gravitates toward founders solving global-scale problems through advanced technology, with a particular interest in sectors such as:
- Enterprise software
- Fintech and edtech
- Life sciences and healthtech
- Clean energy and sustainability
- Space and advanced computing
He is especially drawn to companies that combine technical rigor with mission-driven ambition—ventures that challenge the status quo and improve lives across the economic spectrum.
His impact-focused philosophy is captured in his book, Higher Purpose Venture Capital, which highlights startups tackling root causes and symptoms of social and wealth inequality. Ron’s notable investments aligned with this “double bottom line” thesis include:
- Aprende Institute, empowering upskilling in underserved communities (edtech)
- Fido, extending digital identity and financial access in emerging markets (fintech)
- HopSkipDrive, transforming student and senior transportation (mobility) Provenance, enabling traceability and transparency in supply chains (cleantech)
- Surge Therapeutics, developing innovative cancer immunotherapies (biotech)
These companies reflect Ron’s broader vision: to support transformational technologies that deliver extraordinary outcomes—for both investors and the world.
Overview:
Jason brings a builder’s instinct and a sales operator’s edge to early-stage investing, shaped by direct experience in real estate, tech sales, and entrepreneurship. His investment approach centers on rethinking how the physical world is built, maintained, and scaled—identifying opportunities where innovation drives reinvention across infrastructure-heavy industries.
At Alumni Ventures, Jason is an Associate on the Seed Fund team, where he focuses on backing founders at the earliest stages of company formation. His work spans both overlooked sectors and emerging infrastructure plays. Prior to joining the Seed Fund, he launched his investing career with Yard Ventures, Alumni Ventures’ Harvard-affiliated fund, where he sourced and diligenced startups across a range of stages, sectors, and geographies.
Jason graduated from Babson College with a focus on Entrepreneurship and Finance, where he developed a foundation in company analysis and new venture creation. He also co-founded Hinzu, a promotional platform supporting emerging artists through design, marketing, and startup strategy.
Funds actively worked on:
- Seed Fund
- Yard Ventures
Investment Areas of Focus:
Jason’s investment strategy centers on Buildtech—a broad category that includes Proptech, Construction Tech, and advanced materials—where his background in real estate fuels a deep interest in how physical assets are developed and optimized. He is particularly drawn to founders building enduring platforms that modernize legacy systems through enabling software and data-driven infrastructure.
Beyond Buildtech, Jason actively explores a wide range of pre-Series A opportunities, with thematic interests in healthtech, infrastructure intelligence, and system-level innovation. His recent investments reflect this thesis: Parker, a mobile home park investment platform increasing transparency in a fragmented market; Salvo Health, a digital clinic addressing chronic GI conditions; and InGel Therapeutics, developing regenerative therapies to restore vision.
These companies exemplify Jason’s core belief: the most impactful startups will not only transform digital experiences, but reimagine the systems and structures that underpin the physical world.