/Investor DB

Ad Astra Ventures

Impact investor

3 people tracked

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Investment thesis

Ad Astra partners with visionary founders to unlock their authentic leadership potential and navigate business growth. The firm emphasizes pragmatism, creative thinking, and authenticity, helping founders move beyond traditional approaches. By backing diverse teams and removing barriers to entrepreneurial success, the firm seeks to support founders in building sustainable, impactful businesses.

Invests inSector AgnosticUnited States

Source: firm website, verified Aug 6, 2026.

Instruments
Equity
Founded
2018
Tracked investments
23

Team · 3 people

from the firm's website
Allison Long Pettine· Founding Partnerin

What they invest in

from 21 of 23 portfolio companies

Consumer ×6FemTech ×6Digital Health ×5Wellness & Fitness ×5Direct to Consumer ×4E-commerce ×4Healthtech ×4Circular Economy ×3

HQs:United States×15

Who they back

founder profiles across 12 portfolio companies
50%
solo founders
6 of 12 mapped founding teams

Founding team size:solo founder×62 founders×6

Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program

Techstars ×2

Investments · 23 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

By year:2023 · 12021 · 22020 · 12019 · 12018 · 27 dated

Aquaaiaquaai.comin𝕏

Aquaai builds bio-inspired, fishlike underwater vehicles equipped with cameras and plug-and-play sensors to collect subsurface water data, offered on a Fish-as-a-Service model.

Climate TechDeep TechRobotics

LianeSimeon P.(Founder)in

Co-investorsBackstage CapitalCreative Destruction Lab (CDL)

Aquacyclaquacycl.comin𝕏Jul 2021

Aquacycl provides onsite industrial wastewater treatment using its patented technology to treat high-strength wastewater without dilution, offering energy-neutral operation, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and water reuse.

Circular EconomyCleantechClimate TechImpact & Social GoodEscondido, US

Orianna Bretschger(Executive Officer, Director)inMichael Jones(Director)Anil Jha(Director)

Co-investorsCreative Destruction Lab (CDL)Keshif VenturesNext Wave Impact8090 Industries

Cooler Headscoolerheads.comin

Cooler Heads develops scalp cooling technology to prevent hair loss in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

HealthtechMedical DevicesSan Diego, US

Kate Dilligan(Founder & CEO)in

BoardMaria Gonzalez-Blanch(Director)inMICHAEL SCHOTZINGER(Director)inLIZ TODIA(Director)LIZ ZAMBORY(Director)inJASON PESTERFIELD(Director)in

Co-investorsAloft VCAstiaBacchus Venture CapitalCAL InnovationCalifornia Innovation FundGolden Seeds+6 more

Courtroom5courtroom5.comin𝕏Mar 2019

Courtroom5 provides a litigation toolkit and guidance system for self-representing litigants (pro se parties) to navigate court procedures, interpret law, and prepare cases without hiring lawyers.

LegalTechDurham, US

Sonja Ebron(Executive Officer, Director)inDebra Slone(Executive Officer, Director)in

Co-investorsNC IDEATechstars

Domaine Santedomaine-sante.com

ALL-SASS is a liquid sweetener made from California wine grapes (Gewurztraminer and Riesling varieties) that serves as a natural, low-glycemic sugar alternative for beverages, cocktails, and culinary applications.

ConsumerFoodTechWellness & FitnessSan Diego, US

Esasnycesasnyc.com

Esas makes fine fragrances formulated with 100% natural, certified organic ingredients and free from synthetic chemicals, positioning them as a non-toxic, skin-nourishing alternative to conventional perfumes.

ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerceWellness & FitnessNew York, US

Amanda Sichon(Founder)inseda bilginer(Founder)in

Frameframefertility.comin

Frame is a virtual fertility care service that provides personalized evaluations, plans, and support from a dedicated team of medical providers, coaches, and care coordinators.

Digital HealthFemTechHealthtech

Co-investorsGreat Oaks Venture CapitalTop Corner Capital

Frameframeyourfuture.comin

Frame provides personalized fertility care coordination and guidance for individuals at various stages of their fertility journey, including evaluation, expert care teams, and access to vetted medical providers and products.

Digital HealthFemTech

Jessica Bell van der Wal(Founder & CEO)inCorey van der Wal(Founder)in

Co-investorsCake VenturesCity LightFlare Capital PartnersKli CapitalStone Mountain VenturesThe MBA Fund+5 more

Hydrostasishydrostasis.comin

Hydrostasis develops technology focused on helping aging adults maintain health through hydration monitoring, leveraging expertise in optical technology, data science, and biology.

Deep TechHardwareHealthtechIoTLongevityWellness & Fitness

Debbie K. Chen, PhD(Founder)in

Co-investorsigniteXL Venture

Keggkegg.tech

kegg is a medical-grade silicone fertility tracking device that measures changes in the vaginal environment and cervical mucus to identify a woman's most fertile days, paired with a companion app that provides daily fertility scores and ovulation probability.

Digital HealthFemTechHardware

Co-investorsBerkeley Angel NetworkQQ CapitalTexas HALO FundSOSV

Kids Care Finderkidscarefinder.com

Childcare platform connecting parents with all child-related services from birth onwards, reducing costs and increasing access to quality care.

Liluwearlilu.com𝕏Feb 2020

Lilu develops an app to support breastfeeding mothers and runs beta programs to gather user feedback on the product.

Digital HealthFemTechHealthtechWellness & FitnessNew York, US

Adriana Catalina Vázquez Ortiz(Founder)

BoardSujay Suresh Kumar(Executive Officer, Director)

Co-investorsChloe CapitalLair East Labs

Onekinonekin.co

oneKIN provides creative technology solutions for small businesses, particularly BIPOC-owned enterprises, to increase visibility and drive sustainable growth through an ecommerce marketplace and livestream shopping app.

E-commerceMarketplacesRetail TechSaaS

Co-investorsCapital Innovators

Please Assist Mepleaseassistme.comin𝕏May 2018

Please Assist Me provides home management services through teams of W-2 employees called PAMs who help reduce household stress and tasks.

ConsumerFuture of WorkPropTechNashville, US

Stephanie Cummings(Executive Officer, Director)inSeany Denson(Executive Officer, Director)

Co-investorsBackstage CapitalBlack Tech Nation VenturesHis FundInnova Memphis, Inc.Mainland Angel InvestorsTechstars+1 more

Pumpspottingpumpspotting.comin𝕏Sep 2023 · $2.2M

Pumpspotting offers software and tools that blend emotional and informational support with practical resources to help parents with breastfeeding, pumping, and baby-feeding at home, at work, and on the go.

Digital HealthFemTechSaaSEliot, US

Amy Van Haren(Executive Officer, Director)Caitlin Wege(Director)

Co-investorsLaunchpad Venture GroupMaine Venture FundSincere

Reliablreliabl.aiin𝕏Jun 2021 · $100K

Reliabl provides a data annotation platform for training machine learning models and evaluating AI systems, using custom taxonomies and collaborative review tools to handle complex, nuanced data with attention to cultural context and bias mitigation.

AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureSan Francisco, US

Osazomon Imarenezor(CEO)

Co-investorsTechstars

Seaesta Surfseaestasurf.comin𝕏

Seaesta Surf is a children's apparel brand that produces organic cotton t-shirts and swimwear designed for young surfers and outdoor enthusiasts.

Circular EconomyConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerceCalifornia, US

Seam Social Labsseamsociallabs.com𝕏

co:census is a research and design firm that conducts community engagement and transportation studies for cities and government agencies.

AI & Machine LearningGovTechImpact & Social GoodSocialNew York, US

Co-investorsNew Age Capital

The Sash Bagthesashbag.com

Sash sells structured handbags and accessories, primarily through direct-to-consumer channels with offerings that include leather and nylon collections sold online.

ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerceSan Diego, US

Nichole MacDonald(Founder)in

Thecontrolistthecontrolist.com

TheControList is compliance software that reduces the time and costs associated with audit preparation.

Enterprise SoftwareSaaSCarlsbad, US

ShannonDon

Uqorauqora.com𝕏Oct 2018

Uqora develops consumer supplements and drink mixes focused on urinary tract and bladder health, using ingredients such as cranberry and D-Mannose.

Direct to ConsumerFemTechWellness & FitnessSan Diego, US

Spencer Gordon(Executive Officer, Director)Jennifer Ryan(Executive Officer, Director)

Co-investorsAvestria Ventures

Veritycaseveritycase.comin

Verity manufactures precision metal products and refillable packaging solutions that emphasize durability and recyclability for consumer brands seeking sustainable alternatives to single-use packaging.

Advanced ManufacturingCircular EconomyConsumerNew Materials

Co-investorsInterlock Capital

Other

Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.

Domaine Santé

Frequently asked questions

How many investments has Ad Astra Ventures made?
Ad Astra Ventures has 23 tracked investments.
What sectors does Ad Astra Ventures focus on?
Ad Astra Ventures focuses on Sector Agnostic.
Who does Ad Astra Ventures co-invest with?
Ad Astra Ventures most often shares deals with Backstage Capital, Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), Techstars, among 41 tracked co-investors.

Media · Podcasts & interviews

featuring the team

Ep #271 Funding for Women with Silvia Mah, Founding Partner Ad Astra Ventures

She Angels Series - Invest In Her · Silvia Mah

Highlight video with Silvia Mah the Founding partner of Ad Astra Ventures

Startup Steroid · Silvia Mah

Images

Ad Astra Ventures photo

Co-investors · 1

Golden Seeds

Golden Seeds is an angel investing network focused on funding and supporting early-stage, U.S.-based women-led startups across most industry sectors, while building a community of investors and providing investor education.

Both backed · 1
$250K – $2M

Firms observed investing alongside Ad Astra Ventures, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Ad Astra Ventures's recorded portfolio.

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