Ascend Venture Capital
Venture capitalSt. Louis · Pre-Seed · 3 people tracked
Investment thesis
Pre-seed investor for Seattle AI-first founders (SaaS 3.0, GenAI 2.0, Frontier AI), led by a GP with four exits who raised VC twice, and offering research-driven media.
Team · 3 people
from the firm's website
Kirby Winfield leverages four exits—two IPOs and two acqui-hires—to advise on wins and hard resets, builds a durable Pacific Northwest pre-seed ecosystem, and publishes frameworks plus workshops demystifying fundraising.
What they invest in
from 23 of 68 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×14SaaS ×12Developer Tools ×8Enterprise Software ×7Data & Infrastructure ×5Marketing Tech ×4Mobility & Transportation ×3Fintech ×2
HQs:United States×19Spain×1
Investments · 68 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathAdyn uses large inclusive datasets and machine learning to advance personalized medicine for historically under-researched health conditions, with initial focus on reproductive disorders.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHealthtechMedical DevicesWellness & FitnessSeattle, US
Elizabeth Ruzzo(Founder, CEO)
Battlesnake is a competitive programming game where developers write code to control AI-powered snakes that compete against each other in automated leaderboards.
Developer ToolsGaming
CrowdCow sources and sells high-quality, sustainably-produced food from ethical farms and fisheries, partnering directly with producers to bring traceable products to consumers across the country.
B2B MarketplacesDirect to ConsumerFoodTechImpact & Social GoodSeattle, US
Ethan Lowry(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Joseph Heitzeberg(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
Dolly is a nationwide platform providing on-demand moving, delivery, and labor services for consumers and businesses.
Logistics & Supply ChainMarketplacesMobility & TransportationSeattle, US
Michael Howell(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Chad Wittman(Executive Officer, Promoter)
BoardJason Stoffer(Director)
Finpilot provides AI-powered knowledge management software for investment and wealth management teams, enabling automated analysis of manager documents, financial data, and communications.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintechSeattle, US
Clarity provides identity security and fraud protection for organizations throughout the candidate and employee lifecycle, using AI detection technology to prevent unauthorized access and insider threats caused by AI-driven identity manipulation.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityHR Tech
Ofer Ben-Noon(Co-Founder & CEO)Udi Mokady(Co-founder & CTO)Slavik Markovich(Head of GTM)Eyal Sasson(Head of Fraud & IP)
BoardVanessa Pegueros(VP Product)Demi Ben-Arie(Cyber Advisory)
Auditory intelligence technology enabling real-time sound processing and enhancement in challenging environments
Seattle, US
Zac West(Director)Aaron Ambuske(Executive Officer, Director)Jim Crisera(Director)
Markos.ai provides AI-powered content review tools that check marketing creative for performance, legal compliance, and brand consistency.
AI & Machine LearningMarketing TechSaaSSeattle, US
WESLEY YUN(Director)MARIUS CIOCIRLAN(Executive Officer, Director)
Overland AI develops ground autonomy solutions for military vehicles and land operations, enabling autonomous mobility without human operators.
AI & Machine LearningDefense TechRoboticsSeattle, US
Byron Boots(Co-Founder & CEO)inStephanie Bonk(Co-Founder & President)inGreg Okopal(Co-Founder & COO)inGregory Okopal(Executive Officer)Jonathan Fink(Executive Officer)
BoardChristopher Morales(Director)
Lake Oswego, US
ELIZABETH SHEILS(Executive Officer, Director)NORA SHEILS(Executive Officer, Director)Valerie Troyer(Executive Officer, Director)Elizabeth Sheils(Executive Officer, Director)Nora Sheils(Executive Officer, Director)
Stack Moxie provides monitoring and alerting for critical marketing processes and workflows.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareMarketing TechSaaSKirkland, US
M.H. Lines(Co-Founder, CEO)Shea Chanon(Co-Founder, Operations)Steven Dunston(Co-Founder, CRO)
Stackery provides a platform for building, deploying, and operating serverless applications on AWS, including tools for deployment workflows, CI pipelines, and observability.
Cloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsSaaSPortland, US
Diane Fraiman(Director)Chase Douglas(Executive Officer)Nathan Taggart(Executive Officer, Director)
Taqtile builds Manifest, software designed for deskless workers on the frontline to complete operational tasks accurately and consistently.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkSaaSSeattle, US
Dirck T. Schou, Jr.(Founder, CEO)inJohn Tomizuka(Founder, CTO)inBrent T. Abrahamsen(CFO)John T. Tomizuka(CTO)
Trackingplan provides data quality monitoring and analytics validation software that automatically detects tracking failures and data issues in real time for analytics teams and practitioners.
AdTechData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSaaSBarcelona, ES
Alexandros Andre Chaaraoui(Founder)inJose Padilla(Founder)inJose Luis Perez(Founder)inPedro Trujillano(Founder)inAlexandros Andre Chaaraoui(Founder)in
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Ascend Venture Capital invest at?
- Ascend Venture Capital invests at the Pre-Seed stage.
- What is Ascend Venture Capital's typical check size?
- Ascend Venture Capital typically writes checks of $250K – $750K.
- What sectors does Ascend Venture Capital focus on?
- Ascend Venture Capital focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Data & Infrastructure, Enterprise Software, Fintech, SaaS.
- Where is Ascend Venture Capital located?
- Ascend Venture Capital is headquartered in St. Louis, US.
- Does Ascend Venture Capital lead rounds?
- Ascend Venture Capital typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
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