Levi Malott is a Venture Partner at Redbud VC who actively works as a practicing engineer and CTO at Weave Bio while investing, bringing hands-on technical experience from roles at SpaceX, Shopify, and other companies rather than following a traditional finance career path. He runs a personal coaching practice where founders and engineering leaders can book one-on-one sessions to work through startup technical leadership challenges, making him more like an embedded technical advisor than a typical investor who only participates in formal board meetings.

• A strong focus on the practical applications of artificial intelligence rather than the hype. Believes that relying on tool calling and continuous loops is the only realistic way to deploy large language models in complex production environments, rather than depending on massive context windows. Also views artificial intelligence as a powerful prototyping mechanism that will lower the barrier to entry for software development.
• Advocates for a highly lean approach to early stage startup operations, frequently warning against the dangers of overfunding. Argues that having too much capital can destroy a good idea by removing the healthy constraints needed for innovation and creating pressure to swing too big. Specifically advises founders to avoid hiring before finding product market fit and to only add staff to solve exact bottlenecks.
• Prioritizes a practical and egoless engineering culture where team members focus on the overall mission rather than their own technical preferences. Highly values developers who simplify problems and understand the business reasons behind their tasks, while warning that engineers lose credibility when they introduce unnecessary technical complexity just to play with shiny new tools.
• Understands the rigorous demands of building enterprise software, emphasizing that corporate customers have zero tolerance for broken features, lacking security, or poor data privacy. Highlights that succeeding in the enterprise space requires a massive commitment to stability, which must be supported by heavy investments in comprehensive testing to ensure features work before deployment.
• Values accountable leadership and direct communication amidst the extreme volatility of startup life. Believes that effective managers must prioritize giving honest, candid feedback to their teams over the desire to be universally liked. Also notes that founders must carefully balance adapting to feedback while maintaining a steady, unwavering long term vision for the company.