Ardent Venture
Venture capitalWashington · Pre-Seed–Series B · 15 people tracked
Also known as ARDENT VENTURE PARTNERS, LLC
Find your way into Ardent Venture
5,602 people in our graph share verified history with the Ardent Venture team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
Investment thesis
Ardent invests at the earliest stage in AI-native companies, aiming to back category creators before the market recognizes them. The firm spends 12–18 months researching markets and developing conviction before deals reach the market, then moves quickly with a structured process and clear terms. It leads pre-seed and seed rounds and stays closely involved after investing, providing customer introductions, fundraising support through Series A, operational playbooks, financial guidance, and peer sessions with portfolio founders. Ardent seeks unconventional, highly ambitious founders rebuilding categories from first principles, prioritizing conviction over consensus.
Source: firm website, verified Sep 15, 2026.
Team · 15 people
from the firm's website & public directories
Founder mafia
The Ardent Venture mafia →6 people who came through Ardent Venture went on to found or lead other companies.
What they invest in
from 36 of 74 portfolio companiesSaaS ×19AI & Machine Learning ×18Enterprise Software ×14Fintech ×14Data & Infrastructure ×9Marketing Tech ×5Developer Tools ×3Future of Work ×3
HQs:United States×25Canada×1Germany×1Finland×1India×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 25 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×142 founders×73 founders×4
Where their founders studiedfrom 27 founders with education data
Carnegie Mellon University ×3Georgia Institute of Technology ×3The George Washington University ×3Texas McCombs School of Business ×2The University of Texas at Austin ×2University of Michigan ×2University of Pennsylvania ×2
What their founders studiedfrom 26 founders with field-of-study data
Computer Science ×9Engineering ×7Business & Management ×5Economics ×3Finance & Accounting ×3Mathematics & Statistics ×2Politics & Policy ×2
Where their founders worked beforefrom 31 founders with career history
Carnegie Mellon University ×3Standard Treasury ×2Stanford University ×2
Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program
2 founders hold a PhD · 2 hold an MBA (of 29 with degree data)
Investments · 74 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2026 · 12025 · 72024 · 12023 · 22022 · 32021 · 52020 · 12015 · 121 dated
Verituity provides a payouts platform that delivers verified, on-time payments with payment choice for businesses and their payees, aiming to reduce payout complexity, risk, and cost.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSMclean, US
Ben Turner(Chief Executive Officer & President)inChris Smith(Chief Operating Officer)inAnthony Renzette(Chief Product Officer)inAndy Brooks(Chief Financial Officer)in
BoardDonald Dixon(Director)in
Board seatPhilip Bronner· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsForgePoint CapitalMTECH CAPITALSandbox Industries
A Vietnamese-language online gambling/betting portal promoting the "Sumvip" real-money gaming app, with downloads for APK/iOS/Android and deposit/withdrawal support across multiple banks and e-wallets.
GamingWashington, US
Michael B. Avon(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
BoardTom MacIsaac(Director)
Board seatPhil Herget· per SEC Form D · $2.5M raise · filed Mar 2016
Co-investorsBlazar Ventures, LLCGrotech VenturesNRVPJC
No-code AI workflow automation platform for ad operations and account management, rebranded from PilotDesk to Swivel in 2025.
New York, US
Matthew Burr Dearborn(Executive Officer, Director)Richard Kuan-Hung Lin(Executive Officer, Director)Joseph Rothschild Hirsch(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatMike Shehan· per SEC Form D
SamCart offers an e-commerce platform focused on optimizing checkout and product sales pages for online sellers and direct-to-consumer businesses.
Creator EconomyDirect to ConsumerE-commerceMarketing TechSaaSFulton, US
SCOTT MORAN(Director)inBrian Moran(Founder)inScott Moran(Founder)inScott(Co-founder)JUSTIN SMITH(Executive Officer)in
BoardKUNAL ARORA(Director)
Board seatHaroon Mokhtarzada· per SEC Form D · $93.2M raise · filed Dec 2024
Co-investorseGateway CapitalFin CapitalEldridgeFIN VCTTV Capital
Amplemarket builds an all-in-one B2B sales platform that combines lead generation, sales outreach, and deal management, serving sales and SDR teams.
AI & Machine LearningSaaSSales Tech
Luís Batalha(CPO & Founder)inMica Oliveira(CRO & Founder)inJoao Lopes Batalha(Founder)in
Co-investorsArmilar Venture PartnersComcast VenturesSugar Free CapitalVentureSouqIndico Capital Partners
Catch provides automated financial management and benefits solutions for independent workers and freelancers, handling tax withholding, retirement savings, and health insurance enrollment without relying on traditional employer-provided benefits.
FintechHealthtechInsurTechNew York City, US
Andrew Ambrosino(Founder)in
Co-investorsCrosslink CapitalKube VCLoup VenturesY CombinatorBlumberg CapitalGradient Ventures+1 more
Chowly offers an AI-powered platform for independent restaurants that shifts orders from third-party delivery apps to commission-free first-party channels, including branded websites, mobile apps, and online ordering connected to the POS.
AI & Machine LearningFoodTechSaaSChicago, US
Sterling Douglass-Barnes(Executive Officer, Director)Sterling Douglass(Co-Founder & CEO)inJustin McNally(Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer)Joseph Lawton(Chief Operating Officer)inTom Lawton(Chief Revenue Officer)Mark Whittle(Chief Technology Officer)
Co-investorsBluestein VenturesChicago VenturesFlyover CapitalHyde Park Venture PartnersMultiplier CapitalSandalphon Capital+1 more
Collective is an online back-office platform for self-employed people and single-person businesses ("Businesses-of-One"), offering services such as business formation, taxes, and accounting.
FintechFuture of WorkSaaS
Hooman Radfar(Founder & CEO)in
Co-investorsAglae VenturesBetter Tomorrow VenturesExpaGradient VenturesInnovius CapitalKindred Ventures+10 more
Crux is a capital platform that modernizes financing for clean energy and critical infrastructure projects through advisory, investment, technology, and intelligence services.
CleantechData & InfrastructureEnergyFintechNew York, US
Allen Kramer(Co-founder & COO)inAlfred Johnson(Co-founder & CEO)in
Co-investorsAcrew CapitalAndreessen HorowitzBroadscaleCommonweal VenturesGiant Ventures Global LlpLorimer Ventures+8 more
Drillbit provides an AI-powered customer acquisition and job booking system for trade businesses and franchise networks.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkSaaSAustin, US
Alexander Seutin(Founder)in
Co-investorsJ17 CapitalTranspose Platform ManagementY CombinatorLombardstreet Ventures
e:cue provides an AI-powered analytics platform that helps revenue and sales teams identify buyer accounts, accelerate deals, and forecast outcomes by consolidating siloed data into actionable insights.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEdTechEnterprise SoftwareMarketing TechSaaSSales Tech
Harsha Mokkarala(Founder & CEO)in
Ferris automates the generation of project documentation, proposals, technical specifications, and architectural blueprints for software implementation and deployment engagements.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSaaS
Gather AI builds a "Physical AI" platform for logistics warehouses, using forklift-mounted cameras and drones with computer vision to capture inventory data, then reasoning over it to surface priorities and route tasks to teams.
AI & Machine LearningLogistics & Supply ChainRoboticsPittsburgh, US
Geetesh Dubey(Co-founder)inSankalp Arora(Co-founder & CEO)inDaniel Maturana(Co-founder)inLi Wu(Executive Officer)inAndrew Hoffman(Chief Technology Officer)inRobert IV R. Myer(Director, Promoter)
Co-investorsBling CapitalDundee VCDundee Venture CapitalExpaSmith Point CapitalTribeca Venture Partners+5 more
Givebutter offers all-in-one fundraising software for nonprofits, including donation forms, events, auctions, a built-in donor CRM, and marketing tools across email, text, and direct mail.
FintechImpact & Social GoodSaaS
Max Friedman(Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer)inLiran Cohen(Co-Founder, Chief Technology & Product Officer)inAri Krasner(Co-Founder)Jordan Bauer(Chief Financial Officer)inKeith Kirk(VP of Engineering)inMatthew Carufel(Chief Revenue Officer)
Co-investorsBessemer Venture PartnersOperator Collective
GiveSmart provides cloud-based fundraising software for nonprofits, charities, schools, and foundations to manage campaigns, events, and donor engagement.
Impact & Social GoodSaaS
Mike Hendricks(Chief Executive Officer – Momentive Software)Mike Shea(Chief Operating Officer – Momentive Software)Susan Gilmartin(Chief Marketing Officer – Momentive Software)Dustin Radtke(Chief Product and Development Officer – Momentive Software)
Gridline builds infrastructure for the private markets and alternative investments lifecycle, offering custom fund structuring, data management, and AI-driven compliance and diligence tools.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS
Peter Bilali(Head of Product Strategy)inLogan(Founder & CEO)Chris Crawford(Chief Operating Officer)inRichard(Head of Engineering)Wallis(Head of Legal, Risk & Compliance)Diane(Head of Growth / Revenue)
Co-investorsBLH Venture Partners, LLCFINTOP CapitalKnoll VenturesTech Square Ventures
Co-investorsCommerce VenturesFlorida FundersMucker CapitalOverture ClimateWelinderShi Capital
Incentivio offers a guest engagement platform for multi-unit restaurant brands, combining online ordering, loyalty programs, marketing automation, and analytics into one system.
FoodTechMarketing TechSaaSBoston, US
Sashika Dias(Executive Officer, Director)Rajat Bhakhri(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardPhil Bronner(Director)Julia Taxin(Director)inSean Dowling(Director)inJames Frischling(Director)
Co-investorsBlueTree Venture CapitalBranded Strategic HospitalityConductor CapitalData Point CapitalService Provider CapitalGrotech Ventures+1 more
A platform that connects clients with interpreters, offering competitive per-minute pricing and flexible workflow integration across devices.
Digital HealthEnterprise SoftwareHealthtechMarketplacesSaaSBerlin, DE
Kirsten Brecht-Baker(CEO & Co-Founder)inDr. Richard Brecht(Co-Founder)
Co-investorsCity LightTRANSFORMATION CAPITAL
Lendflow provides a platform for fintechs, lenders, and vertical SaaS companies to offer lending and financial products to their customers.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingFintechAustin, US
Jon Fry(Founder)inMatthew Watts(Founder)in
Co-investorsFrontier VenturesKnoll VenturesNavitas CapitalUnderscore VCY Combinator2048 Ventures+3 more
Indian edu-fintech, formerly Financepeer, offering fee financing and a 'Financial SAAS' payment card platform to educational institutions.
Mumbai, IN
Debi Prasad Baral(Founder)Naveesh Reddy(Founder)in
Co-investorsJITO Angel NetworkQED Investors
Linecook is a social app where home cooks can post their creations, track cooking progress, and share culinary experiences with others.
AI & Machine LearningConsumerSocialSan Francisco, US
Nick
Meetup is a platform that helps people discover and create local communities around shared interests—from professional development and career networking to hobbies, creative pursuits, and social activities.
B2B MarketplacesMarketplacesSocial
Brendan McGovern(Founder)in
Co-investorsAlleyCorpBethnal Green VenturesClick VenturesFashion Capital PartnersFusion VCLinus Ventures+8 more
Method builds financial connectivity infrastructure that enables software companies and financial services firms to embed banking, payments, and account data capabilities into their platforms.
Data & InfrastructureFintechSaaSNew York City, US
Jose Bethancourt(Founder)inJesus Marco del Carmen(Founder)inMit Shah(Co-founder, COO)in
Co-investorsAbstract VenturesAndreessen HorowitzCameron VenturesEmergence Capital PartnersLeonis CapitalRuna Capital+7 more
This is the personal website of Michael Seibel, a Partner Emeritus at Y Combinator and former co-founder and CEO of Justin.tv/Twitch and Socialcam.
San Francisco, US
Michael Seibel(Founder)in
Montra enables product teams to translate feedback and judgment into actionable tasks for AI agents and team members, bridging the gap between human insight and execution.
AdTechAI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareMarketing TechToronto, CA
Campbell Baron(Founder)in
Co-investorsBackwards Capital
Morning Consult Intelligence is a consumer intelligence platform that collects 30,000+ daily consumer surveys across 45+ markets and packages the data into an AI-driven platform covering brand health, consumer sentiment, audience insights, and economic and political indicators.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureMarketing TechWashington, US
Michael Ramlet(Executive Officer, Director)inEvan Judge(Executive Officer)Eric Salama(Director)Karen Van Bergen(Director)Ben Fitzgerald(Director)Craig Shelburne(Director)in
Co-investorsAdvance Venture PartnersBoulder VenturesSavano Capital PartnersSusquehanna Growth EquityFirst In
Palla provides APIs and white-label solutions for fintech companies and financial institutions to enable peer-to-peer payments and cross-border transfers in seconds across 180+ countries.
Fintech
Enrique Perezalonso(Founder)inAndrew Mason(Founder)in
Co-investors2080 VenturesOlive Tree CapitalRevolutionY CombinatorCowboy VenturesDash Fund+2 more
Palla provides APIs and white-label solutions for financial institutions and fintech companies to enable peer-to-peer payments and instant cross-border transfers across 180+ countries.
Fintech
Enrique Perezalonso(Founder)in
Co-investorsEvolution VenturesMVP VenturesOlive Tree CapitalCowboy VenturesDash FundDeepWork Capital+3 more
Palla is a Miami-based cross-border payments platform that lets financial institutions embed instant international transfers.
Miami, US
Gregory Louis Piccolo(Executive Officer, Director)Andrew Scott Mason(Executive Officer, Director)Enrique Perezalonso(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardDavid Golden(Director)Dave Wright(Director)inHeidi Miller(Director)
Co-investorsCowboy Ventures
Digital home for pickleball enthusiasts and coaches where users can find local courts, connect with players, and play more pickleball
Brandon Mackie(Founder)inJeff Gordonin
Co-investorsOverlineService Provider CapitalNetwork Ventures
Preqin provides a data and intelligence platform for investment teams, M&A professionals, and corporate development teams to source, evaluate, and value private company investments through integrated asset, fund, and performance data.
Data & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS
Rainforest provides payment processing infrastructure as a payment facilitator (payfac) service designed for vertical SaaS platforms to embed payments capabilities.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS
Joshua Silver(Founder)in
Co-investorsAccelInfinity VenturesMatrixTech Square Ventures
Roe AI builds AI agents that investigate fraud, dispute, AML, KYC/KYB, and sanctions cases end-to-end, reading customer, transaction, and case data where it lives and producing cited, audit-ready dispositions and SAR narratives.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareFintechSan Mateo, US
Richard Meng(Founder)in
Co-investorsGradient Ventures
Sooth builds an AI-powered global foresight engine that delivers reliable probabilistic forecasts to help organizations make strategic decisions under uncertainty by analyzing interconnected risks across markets, supply chains, and geopolitical events.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise Software
Co-investorsFelicis VenturesS32
Sooth develops a foresight engine that uses AI and machine learning to deliver calibrated probabilistic forecasts for organizations facing strategic decisions under uncertainty.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwarePittsburgh, US
Chuck Hoover(Founder)in
Sulapac develops a biodegradable plastic alternative made from biomaterials that breaks down fully without leaving microplastics, designed for use in packaging and consumer products across industries including cosmetics and food service.
Circular EconomyCleantechNew MaterialsHelsinki, FI
Suvi HaimiinLaura Tirkkonen-Rajasalo(Co-founder)in
Co-investorsLifeline VenturesBonnier CapitalRegeneration.VC
Superposition builds an AI agent that automates talent sourcing and hiring for technical roles, helping companies find qualified engineers more effectively than traditional recruiters.
AI & Machine LearningHR TechSaaSNew York, US
Edmund Cuthbert(CEO)inXiang Li(CTO)in
Co-investorsBetaworks
The page is an affiliate review and comparison guide for US sweepstakes casino platforms, ranking sites and explaining their coin models and prize redemption.
Co-investorsNext Coast VenturesTribeca Venture PartnersBreyer CapitalJLL Spark
Swivel is an operational platform for ad tech professionals, built by industry veterans focused on simplifying ad operations complexity.
AdTechAI & Machine LearningSaaS
Co-investorsMotley Fool Ventures
Treasury Prime provides embedded banking technology through APIs that enable fintechs to embed banking services in their applications.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSSan Francisco, US
Chris Dean(Founder/CEO)inJim Brusstar(Founder)in
Co-investorsAZURO CAPITAL VENTURESDeciensFINTOP CapitalGMO VenturePartnersNycaNyca Partners+3 more
Wood Wide AI develops machine learning systems for structured data and time-series analysis that incorporate real-world constraints and causal reasoning to produce reliable, interpretable outputs.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsPittsburgh, US
Pradeep Ravikumar(Professor)Varsha Raj(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
Range Finance, Inc.AbundantlyCrunchbaseCrux ClimateDaywaterFintentionalHiatusIconvestInsightLoam AIMateria AIMethod FinancialMonarchMoovNelnetNelnet Campus CommerceOpticPagaPB LifePicklePickleball+ (or similar)RedbudSilaSoothStaffing 360TrustworthyUncertain (numeric reasoning tool)Vector InstinctWorkstreamYieldZencap
Rows marked “SEC filing” are inferred from directors named on the company's SEC Form D — public regulatory data, not a portfolio list published by the firm.
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companies
Preqin · investables.ai · Aug 21, 2026
Givebutter · help.givebutter.com · Aug 7, 2026
Collective · finsmes.com · Jul 29, 2026
Montra · evreporter.com · Jul 28, 2026
Catch · esgtoday.com · Jul 19, 2026
Meetup · meetup.com · Jun 23, 2026
Hiatus · phoronix.com · Jun 7, 2026
Treasury Prime · aol.com · May 20, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Ardent Venture made?
- Ardent Venture has 74 tracked investments, 7 of which have exited, including 8 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does Ardent Venture invest at?
- Ardent Venture invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B stages.
- What is Ardent Venture's typical check size?
- Ardent Venture typically writes checks of $250K – $3M.
- What sectors does Ardent Venture focus on?
- Ardent Venture focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Consumer, Data & Infrastructure, Enterprise Software, Fintech, Marketplaces, Robotics, SaaS.
- Where is Ardent Venture located?
- Ardent Venture is headquartered in Washington, US.
- Does Ardent Venture lead rounds?
- Yes, Ardent Venture leads investment rounds.
- Who does Ardent Venture co-invest with?
- Ardent Venture most often shares deals with Y Combinator, Service Provider Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, among 92 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamIMPACT AI: Phil Bronner Co Founder and Managing Partner - Ardent Venture Partners
Corporate Startup Lab · Phil Bronner
Images
Co-investors · 4
ForgePoint Capital is a thesis-driven venture firm investing in early-stage companies in cybersecurity, AI, and infrastructure software.
Teamworthy Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm led by Managing Partner Thomas D. Lehrman, with offices in New York and Nashville, and a network of operator venture partners.
Patron is an early-stage venture firm that backs founders building consumer and application startups that have already launched, focusing on intuitive, automated, and taste-driven products.
SpringTime Ventures is a seed-stage venture firm investing in early-stage startups across healthcare, fintech/insurtech, and logistics/supply chain in the USA.
Firms observed investing alongside Ardent Venture, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Ardent Venture's recorded portfolio.
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