Why We Started Lethal Ventures: Building the Bridge Between Industrial Progress and Modern Technology
April 14, 2025
Today, the industrial sector in America faces a fascinating paradox. On one end of the spectrum, we have cutting-edge frontier technology - the kind that promises to revolutionize everything in 10 years. On the other end, we have outdated workflows and systems from the early 2000s (or earlier) that companies use because that's what they can afford and understand.
What's missing is the middle - the practical technologies that solve today's problems at price points that make sense for real businesses.
This gap isn't just annoying - it's actively holding back industrial progress in America. While the president announces new tariffs to boost domestic manufacturing and companies rush to reshoring their operations, the core technology infrastructure to support this renaissance is still lacking.
At Lethal Ventures, we saw this missing middle as an opportunity. What if we could build a venture studio specifically focused on creating affordable, intuitive industrial technology? Not the sci-fi stuff that might work in a decade, but the practical solutions that deliver real value today.
Our Unique Approach: Build With, Not For
Here's where most venture studios and investors go wrong: they build for an industry instead of building with them.
Traditional VCs love to fund entrepreneurs who promise to "disrupt" industries they've never worked in. These founders often build beautiful technologies that entirely miss the practical realities of the sectors they're trying to serve. The result? Expensive solutions that look good in demos but create more problems than they solve.
At Lethal Ventures, we flipped this model on its head. Instead of pretending to know all the answers, we built a network of Industry Partners - the very companies we aim to serve. Before writing a single line of code, we spend time on factory floors, in warehouses, and with the people doing the actual work.
We don't just listen to their problems; we experience them firsthand. Then, for each solution we develop, we select one Industry Partner to become our Joint Venture Partner, giving us instant distribution and subject-matter expertise that would take years to build on our own.
This approach might seem obvious, but it's surprisingly rare in the technology world. We believe it's the key to building industrial technology that actually delivers value instead of headaches.
The First Fruits: Carbon Report and Lorax
Our methodology is already bearing fruit with our first two ventures: Carbon Report and Lorax.
Carbon Report emerged from a consistent pain point we heard from manufacturers: increasing pressure to report product carbon emissions for bids and existing customers, but no practical way to do it. Existing tools were either too complex, too expensive, or required sensitive proprietary data.
So we built Carbon Report - a lightweight solution that allows manufacturers to calculate and share their emissions in less than five minutes. At $9.99 per month per product tracked, it's affordable for businesses of all sizes. And it's already gaining traction, with nine enterprise "apex customers" in the pipeline, each representing thousands of potential supplier users.
Lorax tackles another common frustration: the inability to monitor legacy machines at scale. Most manufacturers are still conducting physical checks to see if equipment is running - information that should be available with a click. Our solution is a simple edge device about the size of a deck of cards with a clip-on power monitor that can be easily installed on almost any machine, old or new. It delivers real-time visibility without expensive upgrades or invasive installations.
Both of these products share a common DNA: they solve real, verified problems at price points that make sense, and they can be implemented without disrupting existing operations.
The Tariff Tsunami and Why Timing Matters
Our approach couldn't be more timely. As President Trump implements his new round of tariffs affecting a wide range of imports, manufacturers face unprecedented pressure to optimize their operations and supply chains. In March, we saw production and demand spike as customers rushed to place orders ahead of these tariffs, but this bump may be short-lived as inflation takes hold.
This moment of disruption creates both challenges and opportunities. Virtually every company in manufacturing is reassessing where they make products and how tariffs will affect them. This shift requires better data, more transparent supply chains, and tools that provide real-time insights.
The tariff situation also highlights why affordable, accessible technology is so crucial right now. As companies scramble to adapt to new trade realities, they need solutions that can be implemented quickly without breaking the bank or requiring wholesale replacements of working equipment.
The Future: Building an Industrial Technology Ecosystem
While we're proud of our first two ventures, this is just the beginning. Looking ahead, we see immense opportunities at the intersection of sustainability and practical technology.
The manufacturing industry is at a pivotal juncture going into 2025, facing challenges from rapid technological advancements, climate change, and cybersecurity threats. These challenges require urgent, strategic solutions that balance innovation with practicality.
We're particularly excited about three emerging areas:
Sustainable Supply Chain Optimization: As emissions reporting requirements tighten globally, companies need better tools to not just measure but actively reduce their environmental impact without sacrificing efficiency.
Legacy Equipment Intelligence: The industrial sector is full of perfectly good machinery that lacks modern connectivity. We see enormous potential in non-invasive solutions that bring these assets into the digital age without requiring replacement.
Training and Knowledge Transfer: With an aging industrial workforce, companies are losing irreplaceable institutional knowledge. We're exploring solutions that capture this expertise and make it accessible to the next generation of workers.
In each of these areas, we'll maintain our commitment to building with industry partners, ensuring our solutions address real needs at price points that work for businesses of all sizes.
A New Economic Engine for Industrial Companies
The industrial sector doesn't need another failed chase for unicorn startups. It needs a new economic engine - one that focuses on creating real value today rather than chasing distant technological horizons.
That's what Lethal Ventures aims to be. We're not trying to build the next billion-dollar SaaS company (though we wouldn't complain if it happened). Instead, we're focused on building a portfolio of practical, affordable technologies that help industrial businesses thrive.
We believe this approach isn't just good business - it's essential for America's industrial future. As reshoring accelerates and domestic manufacturing grows, the companies that can harness practical technology will have a decisive advantage.
So if you're tired of overpriced, underdelivering technology "solutions" - or if you're an investor who sees the opportunity in the industrial middle market - we invite you to join us. Let's build the future of industrial technology together - one practical solution at a time.
Want to learn more about Lethal Ventures or join our Industry Partner Network? Contact us at partners@lethalventures.com.