Lightbulb Machine

Partners in spin-out technology businesses.

We help take businesses from 0.5 to 2.0, transforming proven internal technology into solid, growing, freestanding ventures.

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Our approach

From 0.5 to 2.0.

We bridge the gap between early-stage innovation and scalable growth. Applying tested strategies, we organize operations, refine technology, and build the foundation for independent, market-ready businesses.

  1. 0.5

    Proven technology, not yet a company

    Valuable IP and capital, often inside a larger business, with real evidence that customers want what it does.

  2. 1.0

    A company of its own

    Its own entity, books, contracts, and technology architecture, with documented workflows from the first day so nothing depends on memory.

  3. 2.0

    Growing, with its own leadership

    The growth plan is gaining traction and a dedicated management team takes over. We plan for that handoff from the start.

We operate with an investor mindset. We look for businesses that meet our success criteria, that would benefit from our particular set of talents and expertise, and that align with our values.

What we bring

A well-rounded network.

Our core team includes strong leadership in technology, finance, data science, and operations. Our extended team includes leaders in machine learning and AI, full-stack engineers, front-end and back-end developers, legal experts, entrepreneurs, and executives.

Strategy and executive leadership
Planning, capital formation, and the executive seat until the permanent team is in place.
Software engineering and design
Full-stack engineering, machine learning, and product design on a shared technology core.
Finance and accounting
Books, controls, and reporting set up correctly from the start, not reconstructed later.
Investor relations
Clear, regular reporting to the people who fund the business.
Operations
An organizational structure and documented workflows designed for analytics software companies.
People and HR
Hiring, benefits, and the policies a company needs before it can grow.
Intelligent workflow automation is a common thread in each of our startup projects.

We design and build secure, scalable workflows, leveraging AI-powered solutions to help users save time, streamline repetitive administrative tasks, and reduce costs.

Portfolio

Our portfolio

Intelligent document workflows. Accurate, flexible, secure.

Glyphic builds AI-based software that reads and processes large streams of business documents for some of the largest global corporations in finance, retail, and consumer products.

glyphicsoftware.com

Automated redaction, powered by AI.

Blackmarker builds AI-powered software that automatically redacts large streams of documents for many of the nation's biggest banks and law firms.

blackmarker.com

Contact

Get in touch.

Want to learn more? Write to us and we'll be in touch shortly.

Charlottesville, Virginia