Faced with unprecedented energy demand, the rise of AI-driven manufacturing and structural labor shortages, a unique opportunity exists to deliver digital infrastructure to address the most critical issues confronting our physical world. 

‍

Blackhorn Ventures invests in founders addressing these issues. Blackhorn partners with world-class teams using data and automation to accelerate the energy transition, strengthen supply chain resilience, and drive efficiency in key industries. Using a holistic approach to impact measurement, Blackhorn views emissions reduction as one piece of a multidimensional approach to measuring impact that also addresses resource efficiency and structural labor gaps in our biggest and most economically important industries.

‍

Measuring and improving the sustainability performance of portfolio companies has always been a priority for Blackhorn. In 2019, the firm began its impact measurement, initially using the Impact Frontiers Framework before refining its approach by integrating Project Frame and other industry best practices to assess the impact potential of new and existing investments. What started as an internal initiative quickly became valuable for impact-aligned Limited Partners (LPs) like Caprock and the Grantham Foundation and a pivotal part of Blackhorn's investment approach. 

‍

To aggregate, document, and track portfolio impact, they sought a technology partner aligned with Project Frame - one that could seamlessly provide data for regulatory compliance, such as SFDR, and measure their portfolio’s performance. Kara was the perfect fit.

‍

"I would definitely recommend Kara to other companies. Their ability to provide impact data on portfolio companies, coupled with detailed data for compliance, makes them an invaluable partner in our sustainability journey."

Amanda Rohrer

Principal at Blackhorn Ventures

‍

The need for comprehensive data

‍

Blackhorn needed a standardized and streamlined process for gathering data for compliance and impact performance measurement. Their previous approach was highly manual, relying on one or two team members to collect data, making it time-consuming and challenging to scale. As the portfolio grew, rolling up impact data into a unified, quantifiable view became increasingly difficult - especially as some of their early-stage startups had limited data outputs. The lack of standardized indicators across a diverse portfolio of companies further complicated measurement, making assessments inconsistent.

‍

“Our old approach was manual and time-consuming, relying on summer interns to collect data. Kara streamlined the data collection process, creating time for our team to focus on other high-impact work.”

Amanda Rohrer

Principal at Blackhorn Ventures

‍

Data-driven transformation

‍

Blackhorn’s partnership with Kara transformed how the firm measures and manages performance across the portfolio, making impact reporting and compliance efficient and standardized. Key benefits of the partnership include:

‍

• Automating data collection: Kara replaced Blackhorn’s manual process with a streamlined data collection system tailored to the firm's impact framework, saving time and costs.
• Impact tracking & forecasting: Kara enabled Blackhorn to track their portfolio companies' realized and forecasted future impact, helping them assess long-term impact potential and respond to LP questions with standardized data.
• Supporting early-stage startups: Kara helped startups with minimal sustainability data establish an impact measurement methodology, forecast their impact potential, and empower them to attract later-stage investors and customers.
• Enabling cross-functional collaboration: Kara's platform has made impact measurement a firm-wide effort rather than a siloed effort, fostering a company culture that celebrates sustainability.

“Partnering with Kara has enabled us to validate our thesis with clear, consistent data, converting our ideas and impact hypotheses into measurable indicators that demonstrate the  real impact being achieved across our portfolio.”

Amanda Rohrer

Principal at Blackhorn Ventures

‍

Accelerating digital infrastructure technologies

‍

Through Kara’s platform, Blackhorn has successfully streamlined data collection, improved impact storytelling, and empowered portfolio companies with vetted metrics. Looking ahead, Blackhorn views impact measurement as a core part of performance evaluation. As LP and Founder expectations become more demanding and regulatory requirements evolve, ‘bulletproof’ impact data has become a differentiator for the firm. With Kara as their partner, Blackhorn is well-equipped to measure performance and leverage data for long-term portfolio growth.

‍