Buoyant Ventures Promotes Laura Katzman and Alex Behar to Partner

CHICAGO, IL – February 18, 2025 – Buoyant Ventures, a leading venture capital firm focused on digital solutions for climate change, is pleased to announce the promotion of Laura Katzman and Alex Behar from Principal to Partner. This advancement recognizes their significant contributions to the firm’s investment strategy, portfolio growth, and category research.

Since joining Buoyant Ventures, both Katzman and Behar have played instrumental roles in sourcing and evaluating investments, supporting portfolio companies, and driving the firm’s mission to back entrepreneurs tackling climate challenges with innovative digital solutions. Their promotion to Partner underscores Buoyant Ventures’ confidence in their leadership and positions them to play an even more pivotal role in the future of the firm.

“Laura and Alex have been integral to Buoyant’s growth and impact,” said Amy Francetic, managing general partner of Buoyant Ventures. “Their sector expertise, strategic insight, and tireless work on behalf of our portfolio companies have strengthened our ability to support exceptional entrepreneurs who are advancing solutions to some of the world’s gravest problems. I am thrilled to support their professional development and view them as partners in the truest sense of the word.”

Buoyant Ventures remains committed to investing in high-potential startups that leverage software and simple hardware to drive decarbonization and climate resilience. The firm is particularly focused on vertical AI solutions that create business value within the energy, mobility, built environment, food and agriculture, and industrial categories. The elevation of Katzman and Behar to Partner positions the firm for ongoing success and invests in the firm’s leadership at a time when private capital is even more necessary to fight the climate crisis.

Laura has been working with Buoyant since 2021 while pursuing her MBA & MS Sustainability graduate degrees from the University of Michigan. Previously, Laura co-founded Michigan Climate Venture, the first student-run fund targeting early-stage Climate Tech companies that have massive potential for rapid decarbonization. She is a licensed CPA and worked in the investment management industry for Deloitte and Ares Management, focused on valuations and revenue accounting. Currently, Laura serves on the boards of Buoyant’s portfolio companies Audette, Beni, Gravity, and Shifted Energy. 

Alex joined Buoyant in 2024 following a 4-year stint as vice president at Cultivian Sandbox, an early-stage fund focused on food & agriculture. Prior to that he was a manager at Deloitte where he focused on corporate innovation projects in agriculture, energy, and water. Alex has an MA in Economics from the University of Cape Town and an MBA from INSEAD, where he was the recipient of the Syngenta Scholarship for Emerging Country Leadership. He serves on the boards of Buoyant’s portfolio companies ElectroTempo, HData, ReelData, and Sunairio.

About Buoyant Ventures

Buoyant Ventures is a venture capital firm headquartered in Chicago that invests in digital solutions to climate change. With a focus on capital efficient and scalable technologies that drive business value, Buoyant partners with entrepreneurs to advance software and simple hardware that can help decarbonize industry and make the world more resilient. For more information, visit www.buoyant.vc.