David Brehm

Managing Director, Zell Lurie Commercialization Fund · 1 appearance on the record.

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David Brem is a venture investor and MBA candidate specializing in early-stage mobility and transportation tech investments, such as eVTOLs. He draws on a background in military cyber intelligence and consulting to focus on founder-first due diligence across global venture ecosystems.

7statements → 3claims → 0claims resolved → 3.57/5average certainty → 2.57/5average debate potential → ≈4.0/5argument clarity, estimated →

2 not yet assessed 1 not checkable as stated how the 3 claims stand · each chip opens the sources

2 predictions · 1 assertion · 1 opinion · 3 insights · every statement was checked. The predictions and assertion are the 3 claims: statements the public record can support or contradict. 0 are resolved, 2 are not yet assessed, and 1 names no date, number or outcome precise enough to check. Everything else (opinions, insights, what ifs, disclosures) can never be settled by the record, so it carries no assessment.

The record, in short

What the tape says about how David argues and how the claims held up. Everything they said, and everything said about them, is in the tabs below.

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Everything David Brehm said on Innovators & Investors that made the record, most notable first. Filter by type, assessment or year in the ledger →

Prediction Not checkable as stated
Brehm: The eVTOL market will consolidate around Joby, Archer, and Vertical
“There's Joby there's Archer that are US-based, there's Vertical which is UK-based. I think those are your top three, and the way I see it is it's very synonymous to take COVID vaccines, right? You have your Moderna Pfizer, J&J, maybe a little bit of Novavax, b…”
David Brehm Jun 23, 2025 ▶ 11:12 Venture Investing in Mobility + Tech with University of Michigan’s Early-Stage Zell Lurie Commercialization Fund
Insight
Brehm: Avoid direct eVTOL makers; invest in aviation-adjacent infrastructure
“Now, as an investor, I wouldn't touch it, because I think there's going to be a lot of saturation, there's going to be a lot of M&A activity, but where I would go, where no one is really talking about, is what are the infrastructure adjacent things to aviation…”
David Brehm Jun 23, 2025 ▶ 12:01 Venture Investing in Mobility + Tech with University of Michigan’s Early-Stage Zell Lurie Commercialization Fund
Opinion
Brehm: Cessna-to-CRJ pilot pipeline creates dangerous aviation safety risks
“And I think an area that people aren't quite talking about this just yet, when you look at pilot training right now what are they training in? They're training in these Cessna one 72 at these local airports, right? Like our aviation club likes to use to for ev…”
David Brehm Jun 23, 2025 ▶ 15:29 Venture Investing in Mobility + Tech with University of Michigan’s Early-Stage Zell Lurie Commercialization Fund
Insight
Brehm: Thought Leadership in Venture Is Founder-Driven, Not VC-Driven
“And I think when you talk about actual thought leadership, it's founder driven, it's not VC driven.”
David Brehm Jun 23, 2025 ▶ 30:36 Venture Investing in Mobility + Tech with University of Michigan’s Early-Stage Zell Lurie Commercialization Fund
Insight
Brehm: Cold outreach works better in VC than conventional wisdom suggests
“A lot of people will say, oh, just warm intros. No, do cold intros. Some of my best contacts are actually cold intros.”
David Brehm Jun 23, 2025 ▶ 35:43 Venture Investing in Mobility + Tech with University of Michigan’s Early-Stage Zell Lurie Commercialization Fund
Prediction Open · timeframe Jun 2040
Brehm: Commercial eVTOL deployment is definitely happening within 15 years
“And when you look at the institutional VC backing and these legacy players like United, American, Delta that are actively investing in this, it tells you that this is very much going to happen in the next 15 years.”
David Brehm Jun 23, 2025 ▶ 11:49 Venture Investing in Mobility + Tech with University of Michigan’s Early-Stage Zell Lurie Commercialization Fund
Assertion Not publicly verifiable
Brehm: ZLCF secured a 90x return on a $50K Arbor Photonics check
“There was a company called Arbor Photonics, which is rebranded as Enlight. That company is actually publicly traded on the NASDAQ. We got a 90 X return on that investment. So we invested 50 K, right? And now it's the it's post exit was at four hundred fifty mi…”
David Brehm Jun 23, 2025 ▶ 24:11 Venture Investing in Mobility + Tech with University of Michigan’s Early-Stage Zell Lurie Commercialization Fund

Appearances (1)

EpisodeDateSpeaking time
Venture Investing in Mobility + Tech with University of Michigan’s Early-Stage Zell Lurie Jun 23, 2025 27m
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