Father-Son Darden Alumni Leverage Success in Robotics to Support Rising Innovators

Walmart’s recent acquisition of robotic technology company Alert Innovation, Inc. represents the culmination of Founder/CEO John Lert’s (MBA ’73) remarkable career as an inventor and entrepreneur, and the beginning of a new chapter he is co-writing with his son Devin Lert (MBA ’21) to cultivate future entrepreneurs and innovators at Darden.

The technology John created and Walmart acquired, Alphabot, is a robotic storage and retrieval system for fulfilling grocery orders. It is designed to make online grocery shopping more efficient and convenient for customers and profitable for retailers. Today, when you order groceries through Instacart, for example, either Instacart contractors or retail employees pick your groceries by hand. Supermarkets can’t raise prices to cover the extra fulfillment costs of this system, so the industry is search of cost-saving automation solutions such as Alphabot.

It’s been a long time coming. John started thinking about reinventing the supermarket experience in the mid-90s. “As an inventor,” he said, “I got very interested in the possibility of transforming this huge industry that I thought was ripe for innovation. Supermarkets had not changed how they worked in very significant ways over nearly a hundred years.” He imagined a world without checkout lines, where customers ordered their groceries on their PC and didn’t have to spend time browsing grocery aisles. “It took over my consciousness,” he said with a laugh. “I felt it would be a major benefit to customers as well as retailers.” He focused on the field of automated material handling and on inventing the robots necessary to make the next generation supermarket a reality.

John’s vision for the future of retail gained significant ground when he formed a strategic partnership with Walmart and started Alert Innovation. Ultimately, the technology created by Alert Innovation led Walmart to acquire the company and deploy Alphabot systems on a potentially massive scale. The acquisition was a major financial success for John and Devin, one that enables them to become generous in giving back. And so, the family philanthropy group named Alert Giving Fund was born.

John attributes his interest and expertise in inventing solutions for business problems to his time at Darden. “At my core, I’m a businessman,” he said.

John arrived at Darden with a BA in History from UVA and two years of service in the Army. He had a vague notion of becoming a “creative businessman” but lacked specific knowledge or experience in the business world. He opted for Darden as an accelerated learning path compared to on-the-job experience starting with an entry-level position. “I went on to a career in which, from day one, I was able to apply my knowledge and understanding of business … and have a more holistic view of my role.”

It wasn’t until three years post-graduation from Darden that he discovered his talent for technology and invention. “The inventions and the technology solutions were always focused on business problems and always about delivering business value, and starting and leading companies was the pathway to commercializing these inventions.” That is why I view Darden as being foundational to my success,” he said.

John’s experience influenced his son, Devin Lert, who started his career as a project manager in Washington, D.C. before he joined Alert Innovation to help lead the development of their flagship technology. Amid the rapid growth and success of Alert Innovation, Devin decided to take a break from his role at Alert Innovation to pursue his MBA and nurture his own aspirations of becoming an entrepreneur. “Darden was an easy choice,” Devin said. “A lot of people from Darden go into investment banking and consulting. But I think the education and experience Darden provides is just as valuable, if not more, to business owners and entrepreneurs.”

While at Darden, Devin received a Genovese Fellowship, a scholarship that covers fees and tuition for students’ second year. Endowed with a $2 million gift more than 30 years ago by Darden alumnus Frank E. Genovese (MBA ’74), the fellowship was created to support students who wish to become business owners or general managers. Genovese makes no secret of his wish for one of the fellows to one day make their own million-dollar gift to Darden—a wish that Devin Lert fulfilled when he and his father pledged $1.875 million to Darden through the Alert Giving Fund.

“I’m very fortunate to be the first Genovese fellow to answer Frank’s call. It’s a blessing to have been part of such a successful venture early in my career and now to be able to give this gift back to an institution that means so much to me and my father,” Devin said. “I know I won’t be the last Genovese to reach the milestone.”

The Lerts’ gift will bolster the Batten Institute’s efforts to nurture budding entrepreneurs and innovators in the Batten Scholars program. These students aspire to be entrepreneurs or innovators, have a history of entrepreneurial ventures, have shown outstanding performance in high-tech industries or have been acknowledged for their pivotal role in driving innovations across various business value chains.

The Alert Giving Fund will continue to focus on education as the Lerts make a greater positive impact on the world and fulfill their belief in the responsibility and privilege that comes with wealth. “I wanted Alert Giving Fund to be more than just writing checks,” said Devin. “I wanted to better understand these causes and how I can help beyond the financial support.” In addition to education, Devin and his family have become key supporters of autism organizations in the commonwealth of Virginia.

“Once the Walmart acquisition happened, it still didn’t feel real at first. Our whole family was kind of amazed, and just so proud of Dad for everything he has accomplished. But once reality sank in, we quickly started planning our philanthropy work,” said Devin. “It was the one of the most rewarding and fun conversations I’ve ever been a part of.”