Creating Supply Where the World Faces Limits

A1R WATER creates potable water from air—providing a new, commercially viable water source at a time when scarcity is reshaping hospitality, agriculture, industry, and geopolitics.

Bert invested pre-revenue, recognizing the scale of the opportunity—and the rigor needed to make it a commercial reality.

As the largest individual investor and a Board Member, Bert didn’t just fund the vision—he helped keep it alive.

His role as a Board Member and investor includes:

  • Rebuilding executive leadership, strengthening operations
  • Securing emergency bridge financing at a critical survival point
  • Guiding institutional investment conversations
  • Driving the strategy toward a planned Nasdaq listing

Hesitation kills momentum. Accountability determines survival.

Betting on Mastery

Angel’s Envy was a different kind of investment. There was no product. No liquid. No data room.

Bert invested early not in a concept, but in earned mastery. There was only Lincoln Henderson—a master distiller who had a track record of shaping one iconic bourbon brand after another.

Investing in the leading expert in the category paid off. Angel’s Envy became a defining premium bourbon and a landmark success, leading to its Bacardi acquisition.

Bert invested in this show stopping Louisville bourbon by:

  • Investing pre-product
  • Backing a proven distilling master
  • Making a conviction investment with hands-off execution

Angel’s Envy proves that great brands are built by great people.

Precision Where the Industry Accepts Error

FruitScout caught Bert’s attention for one reason: it solved a real, costly problem hiding in plain sight.

In agriculture—particularly in tequila—harvest forecasting had long relied on manual measurement and wide margins of error. FruitScout uncertainty ripples through finance, production, and long-term planning. FruitScoutai replaces guesswork with AI-driven precision.

Bert invested as an advisor and equity partner, contributing:

  • Strategic guidance
  • Connectivity
  • Long-game thinking

FruitScoutai proves that if you solve a real problem at scale, growth becomes inevitable.

Designed for Function. Built for the Long Game.

Bert was an early investor in Vybes, recognizing the potential of hemp-based beverages before the category entered the mainstream conversation. As the market evolved—and regulation reshaped the landscape—Vybes adapted, shifting from hemp-forward formulations to a broader wellness platform focused on mood, balance, and functional benefit.

That evolution required discipline, patience, and a willingness to recalibrate with the market. Through it all, Bert has remained actively involved, offering guidance shaped by decades in consumer brands, helping the company navigate regulatory change, product refinement, and category repositioning.

Bert’s role as a co-founder and early investor includes:

  • Backing the brand at the leading edge of the emerging category
  • Strategic advisor through category transition
  • Ongoing investor and operator-level counsel

Vybes stands today as a wellness beverage brand built on function, not hype.