Fundraising Fox

Ascend Venture Capital

Venture capital

Seattle · Pre-Seed · 6 people tracked

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Investment thesis

Ascend targets three distinct AI-driven investment categories: SaaS 3.0 companies building vertical AI agents and applications, Gen AI 2.0 infrastructure and horizontal plays as fast followers, and frontier AI technologies addressing hard problems in the physical world. The thesis emphasizes supporting founders from ideation through seed and Series A stages, leveraging the team's operational experience and Seattle venture ecosystem connections to accelerate company growth.

Source: firm website, verified Aug 5, 2026.

Stage
Pre-Seed
Check
$250K – $750K
HQ
Seattle, MO, US
Leads rounds
Follows
Instruments
Equity
Founded
2018
Tracked investments
90

Team · 6 people

from the firm's website & public directories

What they invest in

from 63 of 90 portfolio companies

AI & Machine Learning ×37SaaS ×24Developer Tools ×10Enterprise Software ×10Data & Infrastructure ×9Marketing Tech ×9Fintech ×8Sales Tech ×8

HQs:United States×30Spain×1India×1

Investments · 90 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

By year:2024 · 32023 · 12021 · 15 dated

AdaptiLabadaptilab.comin

HR TechSeattle, US

Allen Lu(Director)Yuval Neeman(Director)James Wu(Director)Thomas O'Malley(CEO, Founder)

Co-investorsTechstars

adynadyn.comin𝕏

Adyn 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)

Co-investorsCivilization Ventures Management, LlcDuke Capital PartnersWestbound Equity PartnersY Combinator

Aerolaneaerolane.comin

Aerolane develops engineless cargo gliders (its AG-1 and Aerocart line) designed to be towed behind existing turboprop-class cargo aircraft, using patented autopilot technology to navigate wake vortices during takeoff, flight, and landing.

Defense TechLogistics & Supply Chain

Athanor
Athanor AIathanor-ai.com

Athanor builds Kairos, a verification engine for hardware and software that uses formal tools to prove or refute equivalence for RTL optimizations, carrying machine-checked proof and measured area reductions.

Deep TechDeveloper ToolsSemiconductors

Attunelyattunely.com

Seattle, US

Scott Ferris(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Bryan Wolff(Director)Michael Galgon(Executive Officer, Director)Jack Lavin(Director)

BoardAndrew Lugsdin(Director)

Co-investorsFramework Venture Partners

Atypical AIatypicalai.com

Atypical builds AI-native learning tools grounded in learning science, aimed at making education more accessible and effective.

AI & Machine LearningEdTech

Co-investors468 CapitalBloomberg Beta

Audivi
Avanteavante.aiin

Avante provides AI agents purpose-built for employee benefits, with one agent (Carly) answering employee questions and guiding benefits decisions, and another (Ava) giving HR teams program-wide analytics and insights.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareHR Tech

Co-investorsFUSE

AZXazx.ioin

AZX is an AI transformation engineering firm that builds tailored AI-enabled solutions and software for organizations in energy, real estate, supply chain, government, and other critical infrastructure industries.

AI & Machine LearningEnergyEnterprise Software

Co-investorsAllen Institute for AI (AI2) IncubatorKOMPAS VCStepchange

Battlesnakebattlesnake.com

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

Co-investorsMadrona Venture Group

Bean BOXbeanbox.com𝕏

Seattle, US

Ryan Fritzky(Director)Matthew Berk(Executive Officer, Director)

BoardKirby Winfield(Director)in

Co-investorsAscend Venture Capital

Bytewaxbytewax.ioin𝕏

Bytewax provides a stream processing framework that enables users to build real-time data pipelines with Python, deployable across edge and cloud environments.

AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDeveloper Tools

Co-investorsM12 (Microsoft's Venture Fund)RTP Global8-Bit Capital

Candidatecandidate.coin

Candidate operates a referral-based hiring network that lets approved referrers upload their contacts and uses a matching algorithm to notify them when new jobs fit a contact's experience.

Future of WorkHR TechMarketplaces

Cap Hill Brandscaphillbrands.comin𝕏

A company that combines product-building, financial, and entrepreneurial expertise with technology to develop consumer products and build an e-commerce business.

ConsumerE-commerce

Clarifygetclarify.aiin𝕏

Clarify is an AI-native CRM for B2B startups that uses agents to handle prospecting, lead qualification, follow-ups, and other revenue workflows.

AI & Machine LearningSaaSSales Tech

Co-investorsFikaRecall CapitalVermilion Cliffs Ventures

Claritygetclarity.aiin

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)inDemi Ben-Arie(Cyber Advisory)

Co-investorsBessemer Venture PartnersFlying Fish VenturesFusion VCUnitus VenturesWalden Catalyst

Clarity AI
Crowd Cowcrowdcow.com𝕏

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)

Co-investorsMadrona Venture GroupUnlock Venture PartnersFuel Capital

Dollydolly.com

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)in

Co-investorsMaveronHyde Park Venture PartnersKGC Capital

Endurance Energyenduranceenergy.comin

Endurance Energy develops subsea geothermal technology to generate renewable electricity from volcanic activity on the seafloor, providing reliable 24/7 power with minimal environmental footprint for islands, industrial sites, and data centers.

CleantechDeep TechEnergy

Andrew Redd(Founder)in

Co-investorsConstruct CapitalFelicis VenturesPoint72 VenturesRiot VenturesFounders Fund

Enviveenvive.aiin

Envive provides an AI intelligence layer for eCommerce brands, offering an "Adaptive Storefront" sales agent that converts shopper questions into personalized recommendations across on-site, email, SMS, landing pages, and product pages.

AI & Machine LearningE-commerceRetail Tech

Aniket Deosthali(Co-Founder)Sameer Singh(Co-Founder)Iz Beltagy(Co-Founder)Matthew Peters(Co-Founder)

Co-investorsAllen Institute for AI (AI2) IncubatorFUSEJ4 VenturesPoint72 VenturesAI2 Incubator

Fabric
Fabric Commercefabric.inc

fabric is a commerce platform for retailers, and this page presents its technology and solution partner ecosystem.

AI & Machine LearningE-commerceRetail TechSaaS

Aniq Rahman(Founder)in

Co-investorsB CapitalB Capital GroupB4 CapitalExpaForerunner VenturesGlynn Capital Management+5 more

Finpilotfinpilotai.comJan 2024

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

John Alberg(Director)Lakshay Chauhan(Executive Officer, Director)

BoardHope Cochran(Director)in

Co-investorsMadrona Venture Group

Foundationgetfoundation.com
Fresh Chalk
Fynfynhq.com𝕏
Ganazganaz.comin𝕏

Ganaz is a people management software platform for agriculture and food processing employers, covering hiring and digital onboarding, H-2A program management, payroll cards and direct deposit for unbanked workers, and auto-translated two-way bulk messaging.

AgTechFintechHR Tech

Co-investorsAgFunderTrilogy Equity PartnersEarl Grey Capital

Govstreamgovstream.aiin𝕏

Govstream.ai provides an AI permitting platform for U.S. cities and counties that gives applicants parcel-specific guidance, prefills applications from submitted plans, and gives staff a system of record with real-time operational insights.

AI & Machine LearningGovTechSaaS

Groopitletsgroopit.com
Hearvanahearvana.ai

Hearvana is developing acoustic intelligence technology aimed at enhancing listening capabilities for both humans and machines.

AI & Machine LearningDeep TechHardware

Co-investorsAllen Institute for AI (AI2) IncubatorJ4 VenturesPoint72 VenturesSCB 10XAI2 IncubatorAmazon Alexa Fund+5 more

Hedgehoggithedgehog.comin𝕏

Hedgehog builds AI-native networking software that decouples network management from proprietary hardware, using intent-based configuration and open standards to run and scale GPU clusters.

AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingData & Infrastructure

Hesthest.com

Hest designs and makes portable camping mattresses, sleeping pads, and pillows using memory foam for outdoor and travel use.

ConsumerDirect to ConsumerSeattle, US

Aaron Ambuske(Executive Officer, Director)inZac West(Director)

BoardJim Crisera(Director)

Co-investorsLong Way VenturesCascade Seed Fund

Hyphenhyphen.ai

Hyphen provides cloud infrastructure and developer services, including AI-optimized deployments across any cloud, an agent that observes and optimizes infrastructure in real time, plus URL shortening, secrets management, feature flags, and IP geolocation.

AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingDeveloper Tools

Co-investorsUnlock Venture Partners

Includedincluded.aiin𝕏

Included is an AI-native, agentic people analytics platform that uses proprietary algorithms and a canonical data model to consolidate workforce data and surface actionable insights for HR professionals and business leaders.

AI & Machine LearningHR TechSaaS

Laura Close(Founder)in

Co-investorsFlying Fish VenturesSignalFireTrilogy Equity Partners

Included AI
Inflectioninflection.ioin

Inflection is a B2B marketing automation platform where AI agents and human marketers execute campaigns together, using first-party data from a company's website, CRM, and product usage.

AI & Machine LearningMarketing TechSaaS

Iteratively
Kamiwazakamiwaza.aiinDec 2024

Kamiwaza offers a distributed AI orchestration platform that processes data where it resides, allowing enterprises to deploy AI without centralizing data or compromising security.

AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareGovTechSilverthorne, US

Matthew Wallace(Executive Officer, Director)Luke Matthew Norris(Executive Officer, Director)

Co-investorsCitta CapitalFirstMile VenturesGreater Colorado Venture FundAscendPioneer Square VenturesS3 Ventures

Keepekeepe.comin𝕏

Seattle, US

Rishi Mathew(Founder)in

Co-investorsSeaChangeTechstarsUnlock Venture Partners

Keyplaykeyplay.io

Keyplay is a B2B marketing platform that uses AI agents to identify and act on target accounts, with integrations for Salesforce and HubSpot.

AI & Machine LearningMarketing TechSales Tech

Knapsackknapsack.cloudin𝕏

Knapsack is a platform that centralizes design assets and code for design system teams, enabling designers, engineers, and product managers to collaborate on building and maintaining design systems at scale.

AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSaaS

Chris Strahl(Founder)in

Co-investorsCrosslink CapitalEPIC VENTURESFiDi VenturesLorimer VenturesParade VenturesBlumberg Capital+1 more

Leguplegup.carein

Kinside operates a child care platform that connects families with providers using provider data, real-time openings, and online tour booking.

HealthtechMarketplacesSaaS

Levellevelgoals.com

Level was a financial services provider that offered advances and related products to very small businesses.

Fintech

Co-investorsMachina Ventures

Limelightlimelighthq.com𝕏

Limelight is a B2B influencer marketing platform that lets brands find, partner with, and book ad placements across creators (newsletters, LinkedIn, YouTube, and other channels) and track campaign performance through real-time analytics.

AdTechCreator EconomyMarketing Tech

Co-investorsEntrepreneur Ventures

Loantuitiveloantuitive.com

LOANtuitive offers Connect AI, an AI assistant that matches loan brokers' financing requests against a database of over 1,000 loan programs from banks, credit unions, and private lenders to surface the strongest lender matches in real time.

AI & Machine LearningFintechSaaS

Makaramakaradigital.com

Co-investors9Mile Labs

Markosmarkos.aiJul 2024

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)

Co-investorsFour Acres CapitalHabitat Partners

Meetingflowmeetingflow.comin𝕏

Meetingflow is an AI meeting assistant for enterprise sales teams that helps prepare for customer meetings, record and transcribe calls, take notes, and automate follow-ups.

AI & Machine LearningSaaSSales Tech

Co-investorsAllen Institute for AI (AI2) Incubator

Meetingflow AI
Meshmesh.idin

Mesh provides a real-time B2B verification API that helps companies verify and onboard legitimate U.S. businesses, including SMBs and licensed professionals, by checking business registration, professional licenses, and business risk signals.

Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS

Co-investorsAfore CapitalCoinbase VenturesEssence Venture CapitalLiberty City VenturesModerne VenturesParadigm+1 more

Neon Healthneonhealth.comin

Neon Health builds AI workers that automate pharma patient-access workflows such as benefit verification, prior authorization, denials and appeals, financial assistance enrollment, patient onboarding, and adherence support.

AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHealthtech

Co-investorsDigiTx Partners LLCNFX

Oumi
Outbound AIoutbound.aiin𝕏

Outbound AI builds conversational AI agents that automate phone-based administrative work in healthcare, particularly for medical billing and revenue cycle tasks.

AI & Machine LearningHealthtech

Jonathan Wiggs(Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer)

Co-investorsMadrona Venture Group

Overland Aioverland.ai

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)inJonathan Fink(Executive Officer)

BoardChristopher Morales(Director)

Co-investors8VCOUP (Osage University Partners)Point72 VenturesVoyager CapitalCubit CapitalShasta Ventures+3 more

Pongojoinpongo.com
Pongo AI
Recurrentrecurrentauto.comin𝕏

Recurrent builds software and data analytics tools to help consumers and dealerships transition to electric vehicles and optimize EV adoption.

Climate TechData & InfrastructureMobility & TransportationRetail TechSaaS

Scott Case(Founder)in

Co-investorsAutomotive Ventures MobilityEnerTech CapitalPrelude VenturesWireframe VenturesGeneral Catalyst

Revolute

Portfolio news

latest coverage across their companies

Frequently asked questions

How many investments has Ascend Venture Capital made?
Ascend Venture Capital has 90 tracked investments, including 1 dated in the last 24 months.
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 Seattle, US.
Does Ascend Venture Capital lead rounds?
Ascend Venture Capital typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
Who does Ascend Venture Capital co-invest with?
Ascend Venture Capital most often shares deals with Madrona Venture Group, Allen Institute for AI (AI2) Incubator, Techstars, among 94 tracked co-investors.

Media · Podcasts & interviews

featuring the team

Investor Connect - Episode 218 - Dan Conner of Ascend Venture Capital

Hall Martin · Dan Conner

Ascend Venture Capital Partner Dan Conner - Fuller Speed Ahead

FreightWaves · Dan Conner

Co-investors · 4

Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence Incubator (AI2)

AI House (formerly AI2 Incubator) is a company-building organization that combines community, incubation, and capital to support AI-focused founders. The firm emphasizes hands-on, long-term partnerships with founding teams rather than passive investment.

Both backed · 1
Trucks VC

Trucks is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on the future of transportation, backing ideas that make mobility decarbonized, safer, and more accessible.

Space Capital

Space Capital is a venture capital firm investing in the space economy, focusing on GPS, geospatial intelligence, and satellite communications technologies.

New Age Ventures

A globally active venture studio that manages investments across healthcare, medical devices, digital health, cleantech, consumer technology, deep tech, and applied AI sectors.

Firms observed investing alongside Ascend Venture Capital, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Ascend Venture Capital's recorded portfolio.

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