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Brown and white ventures

LATEST NEWS

September 23, 2026

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Reclaiming the City: How Stak Mobility Solves The Urban Parking and EV Charging Challenges

Urban developers have faced a grueling trade-off: sacrifice valuable leasable square footage to satisfy rigid parking mandates, or risk project viability by pursuing costly offsite leases. As the transition to electric vehicles accelerates, this tension has only intensified. Developers are now tasked with not only finding space for cars but integrating complex EV charging infrastructure into already cramped footprints. Stak Mobility is shifting the parking paradigm from horizontal to vertical. "We are transforming how diverse markets—from the historic streets of a city like Pittsburgh to the luxury corridors of places like Beverly Hills—approach urban density and sustainability," Stak Mobility CEO Diallo Powell said.. The Vertical Advantage: More Than Just Parking The core of Stak’s innovation is the EV Carousel system. By deploying vertical, automated parking, Stak allows developers to reclaim thousands of square feet of buildable land. This isn't just about convenience; it is about the fundamental economics of real estate. When parking is compressed, the "highest and best use" of the land is unlocked. Whether it is adding more residential units, expanding retail storefronts, or creating green space, the impact on a project's Net Present Value (NPV) is immediate and substantial. Proven Impact Across Diverse Use Cases Stak Mobility, a portfolio company of Brown and White Ventures, demonstrates versatility in its track record across asset classes: 1. Residential & Wellness: Preserving Community At Enso Village, a 275-unit senior wellness community in Healdsburg, California, a conventional parking layout would have consumed 30,000 square feet, displacing 24 residential units. Stak deployed a "Carbarn" that provided 108 EV-ready spaces in just 3,500 square feet. "Stak’s solution has made valet operations more efficient and dependable for our community," said Kelly Hall, the development's resident services manager. "Residents and employees experience quicker service with less congestion, and our staff can focus more on hospitality than managing vehicles or EV charging." Stak Mobility's system also delivered 26,500 square feet of reclaimed space for housing and amenities, all while maintaining the campus's architectural aesthetic. 2. Mixed-Use: Unlocking Financing In Pittsburgh’s historic Strip District, The Franklin faced a financing hurdle due to a lack of onsite parking. Stak converted four surface spaces into 30 vertical, EV-ready spots. "Parking is the most challenging design component in urban areas, and with Stak’s solution, we were able to successfully move the project forward," said Rob Mullin of Penrose Advisors, who utilizes Stak's carousel. This move didn't just satisfy lenders; it preserved 8,200 square feet of commercial space. The financial delta was stark: commercial space leases at $22/sf, while parking typically yields only $3/sf. Enhancing the Guest Experience For The Iris in Charleston, South Carolina, Stak integrated parking with the hotel’s booking system, Guesty. Guests reserve their spot with their room and are guided via the Stak app to their assigned carousel. By fitting 29 spaces into 1,100 square feet, the hotel preserved eight guest rooms and key storefronts, turning a logistical challenge into a frictionless, high-end amenity. "It has been a game changer," said Savannah Kiker, Guest Relations Manager at CHC Vacation Rentals, operater of The Iris. "Guests can seamlessly park and retrieve their cars without staff involvement, creating a premium, touchless experience that aligns perfectly with our brand." 4. Retail & Commercial Navigating Regulation In Gainesville, Florida, Trulieve needed more parking to attract an anchor tenant but faced strict city screening requirements. Stak delivered 26 spaces in the footprint of four, using a hurricane-proof perimeter framework. By partnering with the local Parks and Recreation Department to wrap the structure in community-created art, Stak turned a regulatory hurdle into a neighborhood landmark. Future-Proofing the Urban Grid The transition to EVs is no longer optional; it is a mandate. In Beverly Hills, CA, at 317 North Beverly, Stak is helping a developer meet a strict 40% EV charging requirement by integrating charging into every stall within a compact vertical system. This ensures the project is not only compliant today but scalable to 100% capacity as demand grows. The financial incentives are equally compelling. In the 2930 Smallman project in Pittsburgh, the shift from an underground garage to Stak’s vertical system resulted in an $812,000 increase in NPV and $711,000 in net tax benefits through EV credits and accelerated depreciation. Stak Mobility is proving that urban density and sustainable mobility are not mutually exclusive. By removing the "parking tax" on buildable land, Stak enables developers to build more housing, create more commercial opportunity, and accelerate the adoption of EVs—all without compromising the architectural integrity of our cities.

RECENT NEWS

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How GreenIRR and Evidence-Based Procurement Deliver

Join KAV and 43North for an evening of innovation, cycling, and community at their state-of-the-art factory in Buffalo's Old First Ward. The Brown and White Ventures portfolio company will host cyclists and the public Wednesday, August 5th, 2026 from 5:30-8 p.m. at the helmet maker's HQ, 225 Louisiana Street. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5TH | 5:30PM - 8PM Go behind the scenes to see how KAV's bike helmets are designed, 3D printed, and hand-assembled right here in Buffalo. Learn how digital head scanning technology allows us to create helmets tailored to each rider for a more precise fit, enhanced comfort, and improved protection. Enjoy guided factory tours, product demonstrations, food trucks, prizes, and complimentary beverages by Thin Man Brewery. The Buffalo Bicycling Club will be hosting group rides that begin and end at the KAV factory. Whether you're a cyclist, interested in technology and manufacturing, or simply looking for a unique community event, come see how KAV is redefining helmet manufacturing through custom-fit design and 3D printing.

July 21, 2026

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KAV To Welcomes Public To Silvo Launch Event Aug. 5

Join KAV and 43North for an evening of innovation, cycling, and community at their state-of-the-art factory in Buffalo's Old First Ward. The Brown and White Ventures portfolio company will host cyclists and the public Wednesday, August 5th, 2026 from 5:30-8 p.m. at the helmet maker's HQ, 225 Louisiana Street. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5TH | 5:30PM - 8PM Go behind the scenes to see how KAV's bike helmets are designed, 3D printed, and hand-assembled right here in Buffalo. Learn how digital head scanning technology allows us to create helmets tailored to each rider for a more precise fit, enhanced comfort, and improved protection. Enjoy guided factory tours, product demonstrations, food trucks, prizes, and complimentary beverages by Thin Man Brewery. The Buffalo Bicycling Club will be hosting group rides that begin and end at the KAV factory. Whether you're a cyclist, interested in technology and manufacturing, or simply looking for a unique community event, come see how KAV is redefining helmet manufacturing through custom-fit design and 3D printing.

July 20, 2026

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Counsel Stack Connecting Legal Citator to Claude for Advanced AI-Powered Research

Counsel Stack announced its next advancement in AI-assisted legal research: the successful integration of its proprietary citator with Claude. This development marks a step forward in how legal professionals can leverage large language models (LLMs) to perform complex, grounded legal research and litigation workflows. By connecting Counsel Stack’s citator to Claude, the platform now enables the AI to research with the precision of a lawyer. The integration allows Claude to access and navigate Counsel Stack’s massive 200-million-edge citation graph, providing users with answers backed by direct, verifiable links to legal sources. "We connected Counsel Stack's citator to Claude. It researches like a lawyer, based on our prompting, and provides answers with links. Counsel Stack helps Claude find relevant legal sources and crawl around our 200m edge citation graph," said Von Wooding, CEO of Counsel Stack. This integration goes beyond simple search queries. It is designed to support sophisticated litigation workflows, including editing and redlining legal briefs, all while remaining grounded in curated, high-quality legal data. The system currently operates via a local Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, utilizing a robust 250GB dataset that includes over 50 million citations, ranging from federal statutes and regulations to state constitutions and agency enforcement actions. The company is also exploring the future of local, private legal AI. Counsel Stack has successfully tested the system with 27-billion-parameter local LLMs, demonstrating that high-performance legal research can be achieved without relying on third-party cloud services. "In the very near future you will be able to run a ~120 IQ LLM on your own machine, calling on local legal data that is updated daily from an oracle, and can answer most legal questions without connecting to a third party service," Wooding added. While the current primary bottlenecks for local deployment remain hardware-related—specifically the cost of vRAM and token throughput—Counsel Stack is actively optimizing its architecture to overcome these challenges. The company is also preparing to announce further integrations, including a connection to the Mike OSS front end, which is purpose-built for legal applications. This development positions Counsel Stack at the forefront of the "private AI" movement in law, offering firms the ability to maintain data sovereignty while utilizing cutting-edge research tools. As the legal industry continues to grapple with the balance between AI efficiency and data security, Counsel Stack’s approach offers a compelling path forward. Counsel Stack provides advanced legal technology infrastructure, specializing in citation graphs and AI-driven research tools designed to empower legal professionals with accurate, grounded, and efficient workflows. It is a portfolio company of Brown and White Ventures.

July 16, 2026

News

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