Lawrence Black
Lawrence is a Developer, Venture Partner, and “Angel” Investor.
He is actively involved in the revitalization of textile mill communities in the upstate both as a real estate developer and as an Angel Investor.
He is currently the developer behind the adaptive repurposing of Greer Mill and the Southern Bleachery in Taylors, SC.
Southern Bleachery is regional events and festival campus with multiple indoor and outdoor venues, food offerings, walking trails, and green-space.
Lawrence is leading the effort to meet the goals of Greer’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan to preserve cultural heritage and connect the distressed Greer Mill neighborhood to public investments in the Downtown Business District.
Lawrence was the founding member of Washington, DC based Nextgen Venture Partners, an innovative network-driven venture capital firm. Nextgen was acquired in 2018 and now operates under the umbrella of Brown Advisory, a $70b private wealth management company.
He is an active individual “angel” investor known for being entrepreneur friendly and was an early investor and partner to companies such as Wealthforge, Spire Global, Latista, Draft Kings, Tiesta Tea, and Straighterline.
Lawrence sees textile mills in the as the original live, work, play communities in the Upstate. In addition to his development efforts, Lawrence also invests in local mill based entrepreneurs and startup companies like Junto Coffee, Medina Roasters, Mailroom Barber and others who bring the entrepreneurial spirit and vitality fundamental to thriving communities.
Lawrence has undergraduate degrees in English and Economics from James Madison University, an M.A. in Classical Studies from St. Johns College, and most recently was a student in Clemson University’s Masters of Real Estate Development Program.
He is married with three young boys.
