Vic Levitin

I built four companies as an operator and had one exit as an early investor - WeissBeerger, acquired by AB InBev.

One of them, CrazyLister, raised venture capital, grew to multi-million ARR, and runs lean today, paying dividends. Another, Diptera.ai, is a VC and Gates Foundation–backed deep-tech company where I served as CEO through 2024 - I remain a shareholder.

I’ve raised venture capital when the venture needed it, and I’ve spent the last years building without it. Both sides of that decision, from the inside.

Somewhere along the way, the order of things reversed. I used to build my life around the business. Now I build the business around the life, operating from Koh Samui, Thailand, where I moved with my family. The building didn’t stop; it just changed shape.

Today, that shape is Dazy.ai - a venture studio. I partner with creators and operators who’ve already earned their audience’s trust: they bring the relationship and distribution, and my team and I build the software and company around it. I tried an early version of this model once, grew it to $90K/month, and watched it collapse in a single weekend. The collapse didn’t convince me the model was wrong - it proved the structure was.

What you’ll find here are scenes from the transition - including what I miss from the venture world, because I do miss it. This isn’t a case against that path. It’s a report from someone who walked it, stepped off, and is still finding out what the other road costs.

Scenes, not advice.