Technovation with Peter High (CIO, CTO, CDO, CXO Interviews) From CIO to VC: Marina Levinson on Vertical AI, Startup Bridges & Board Leadership
Sep 26, 2025
In this conversation, Marina Levinson, an experienced former CIO and now a venture investor with Benamu Global Ventures, shares her fascinating journey across tech and investment realms. She discusses the importance of building bridges between enterprise executives and startups and emphasizes CIOs' role in innovation. Marina highlights BGV's focus on vertical AI investments and shares valuable lessons learned from companies like AiDASH. Additionally, she offers insights on product-market fit, board leadership advice, and even her passion for winemaking.
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Focus On Vertical AI Applications
- Benamu Global Ventures targets early-stage enterprise AI at the application layer, focusing on vertical solutions rather than core infrastructure.
- The firm prefers US headquarters with cross-border product development in Europe, Israel, and India.
From CIO To Founder Of A VC Bridge
- Marina transitioned from CIO to founding CIO Advisory Group to bridge senior tech leaders with VCs and PE firms.
- She leveraged her buyer perspective to assess startups and later learned financial evaluation to invest successfully.
Evaluate Startups As A Buyer First
- Marina evaluates startups from a buyer's lens first, asking if she'd purchase the product and whether it's must-have or nice-to-have.
- She prioritizes differentiation, asking if solutions are meaningfully better or 10x improvements.