Michael Lavin is the Managing Partner of Germin8 Ventures, an agrifood and frontier science venture firm. He leads investing, strategy, and operations at Germin8, serving on boards of leading AI, SaaS and deep tech companies such as Brightseed, Matterworks, Bushel, ENKO and Avalo AI. Additionally he is also the Vice Chairman of leading multinational food company, OSI Group. Passionate about food security and population health, he advises philanthropic organizations and policymakers, including the State of Alaska and National 4-H, where he serves on its investment committee. Previously, he was an investment banker and corporate development executive at Mesirow Financial, successfully completing transactions with numerous Fortune 500 and top private equity firms.