Ascend
Facts
- HQ
- Seattle, WA, US
- Sectors
- Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals
- Founded
- 2019
- Employees
- 23
- Last fund
- Ascend Venture Capital III, LP · 2025 SEC Form D
- Funds raised
- 3 funds SEC Form D filings
- Total capital
- $12.5M SEC Form D filings
Seattle Startup Hyphen AI Raises $5M Seed to Automate Cloud Deployments Using Generative AI
Seattle startup Hyphen AI raised $5 million in a seed round led by Unlock Venture Partners to develop Hyphen Deploy, a generative AI platform that automates cloud infrastructure setup using natural language. The platform supports multiple cloud providers and aims to reduce infrastructure setup from weeks to minutes.
Ascend’s 2023 Founders Bash in Seattle Spotlights Rapid AI Growth, Business Challenges, and Skepticism Among Startup Leaders
At Ascend's fifth annual Founders Bash in Seattle, startup leaders discussed AI's rapid evolution, its value in speeding up work, cautious customer adoption, and skepticism around AI hype. Experts highlighted AI's accelerated development pace, business potential in time compression, and the ongoing need to demonstrate clear ROI to customers.
Envive Raises $15M Series A Led by FUSE to Expand AI Agents for Retailers Including Spanx and Supergoop!
Envive, a Seattle-based startup building AI agents for online retailers, raised $15 million in a Series A round led by FUSE to enhance customer engagement and search visibility. The company, whose clients include Spanx and Supergoop!, expects 5X revenue growth this year as it advances autonomous retail AI technologies.
Apple Acquires Seattle AI Startup WhyLabs and Integrates Founders into New Roles in 2024
Apple has quietly acquired Seattle startup WhyLabs in 2024, incorporating its founding team into AI-related roles. WhyLabs is discontinuing operations and open-sourcing its platform following the acquisition, which includes rights to its intellectual property.
Token Talk 29: Thomas Stahura Says GPT-5 Won’t Kill Enterprise SaaS — Moats Still Live in Data, Compliance, and Integrations
The author argues GPT-5, while technically strong and capable of rapid prototyping, won’t make enterprise SaaS obsolete because the real value and moat lie in data, reliability, compliance, integrations, and post-demo workflows. Open models are closing the gap with closed ones, OpenAI released two open-source gpt-oss models, and the market should expect SaaS vendors to survive by owning the ‘messy middle.’
Ascend analysis: Bay Area tops startup ROI with 10.07 MOIC; Boston 7.89 and Seattle 7.48 on $100M+ exits (2000–June 2025)
An Ascend analysis of U.S. startup ecosystems finds the Bay Area leads in capital efficiency with a MOIC of 10.07, followed by Boston (7.89) and surprise third-place Seattle (7.48), based on exits over $100M from 2000–mid‑2025; smaller metros generally underperform and selection/bias limitations are noted.
Nikesh Parekh Advises Microsoft and Amazon Execs on Engaging with Seattle Startups as Advisors, Board Members, and Investors
Nikesh Parekh shares a guide for Microsoft and Amazon employees on engaging with the Seattle startup ecosystem through roles like advisors or board members and by strategic investing, highlighting common practices and compensation details.
Report: "Cascadian Dynamism"—Pacific Northwest startups marry AI and physical systems across fusion, satellites, robotics and energy
The Pacific Northwest is spawning a cluster of engineering-heavy startups—what the author calls "Cascadian Dynamism"—that combine AI with physical systems (autonomy, fusion, satellites, robotics, energy) driven by regional talent, infrastructure, and nearby enterprise and federal customers.
USVP and Madrona co-lead $15M Series A in Clarify to build an autonomous AI-native CRM
USVP and Madrona co-led a $15 million Series A in Clarify, an AI-native autonomous CRM founded by Patrick Thompson that automates call briefs, transcriptions, action items, follow-ups and pipeline maintenance. Clarify, seeded in Q1 2024, now serves 100+ customers, has ~20 employees, uses usage-based pricing with unlimited users, and aims to replace legacy CRM workflows dominated by Salesforce and HubSpot.
Seattle Startup Clarify Raises $15M to Challenge Salesforce with AI-Native Autonomous CRM
Seattle startup Clarify raised $15 million to grow its AI-native CRM platform that automates sales data entry by integrating email, calendar, and calls to help sales teams spend more time closing deals. Clarify targets early-stage startups and investors, competing with Salesforce and other CRM providers by building AI features at its core.
Apple Quietly Acquires Seattle AI Startup WhyLabs in 2025, Expanding Local AI Expertise
Apple appears to have quietly acquired Seattle startup WhyLabs, which specializes in AI application monitoring, marking another in a series of AI and machine learning acquisitions in the Seattle area. The acquisition, indicated by venture capital and LinkedIn clues but not publicly confirmed, aligns with Apple's ongoing investment in AI despite reports of lagging behind competitors.
Yoodli Raises $13.7M to Expand AI Roleplay Software Helping Enterprises Enhance Employee Communication Skills
Yoodli, founded by CEO Varun Puri, has raised $13.7 million to grow its AI roleplay software that helps employees improve communication skills through interactive speech analysis and feedback. The startup, spun out of AI2 in 2021, is shifting focus to enterprise clients and has increased revenue fivefold in eight months.
Neotribe-led $13.7M Series A in Yoodli to Expand AI Roleplay Enterprise Platform Serving Google, Databricks and More
Neotribe Ventures led a $13.7 million Series A in Yoodli, an AI roleplay enterprise platform that helps users rehearse high-stakes conversations with real-time feedback; existing investors including Madrona, Cercano, AI2 and Neotribe (who previously invested) highlighted Yoodli’s enterprise traction with customers like Google, Databricks, RingCentral, Snowflake and BDO. The funding will expand sales, customer success, and engineering while improving personalization and realism in roleplays to address communication training gaps at scale.
Seattle AI Startup Yoodli Raises $13.7M to Enhance Sales Pitch Training with Generative AI
Seattle-based AI startup Yoodli raised $13.7 million to advance its generative AI platform that helps sales teams practice pitches by simulating conversations and providing communication feedback. Founded in 2021 by Varun Puri and Esha Joshi, Yoodli serves companies like Databricks and RingCentral and partners with Toastmasters and Korn Ferry.
Martin Tobias's Incisive Ventures Raises $10.5M for Early-Stage B2B Software Fund Focused on AI
Martin Tobias's Incisive Ventures closed a $10.5 million fund targeting nearly 30 early-stage enterprise software companies, focusing on AI-driven B2B solutions. Tobias emphasizes backing startups with strong customer insight and distribution strategies, aiming to invest primarily in U.S. startups but remaining open globally.
Fortson VC Raises $50M to Fund Early-Stage B2B Software Startups Led by Cole Younger in Seattle
Fortson VC, led by Cole Younger, has raised $50 million to invest in early-stage B2B software startups, primarily in the Pacific Northwest. The fund plans 25 to 30 investments with check sizes between $500,000 and $1 million, focusing on founders with unique internal compasses.
Seattle VC Firm Ascend Raises Third Fund to Back Early-Stage AI Startups After $25M Second Fund in 2023
Seattle venture capital firm Ascend is raising its third fund to invest in early-stage tech startups focused on vertical AI and infrastructure, following a $25 million second fund in 2023. Founder Kirby Winfield launched Ascend in 2019 and the firm primarily supports Seattle-area founders with investments ranging from $250,000 to $750,000.
Fuse leads $10M Seed in Avante to build AI-powered infrastructure for employer healthcare benefits
Fuse led a $10 million Seed round, joined by HighSage Ventures, in Avante—an infrastructure platform that centralizes benefits data and uses AI to help employers manage employee healthcare more efficiently. Avante, led by CEO Rohan D’Souza and co-founder Carly Eckert, plans to expand its team and hire five roles as it scales its platform to reduce administrative burden and improve benefits outcomes.
Madrona Venture Group Marks 30 Years with $770M Raised for New Funds, Continuing Strong Seattle Investments
Madrona Venture Group, a Seattle-based venture capital firm celebrating its 30th anniversary, has invested in major startups like Amazon and recently raised $770 million for two new funds to support about 40 investments. While expanding beyond the Pacific Northwest with a Palo Alto office, Madrona continues to focus most of its investments locally.
Ascend founding partner Kirby Winfield says Seattle is the U.S. ’s No.2 AI hub as startups, talent and investors converge
Seattle has quietly become a major AI hub—home to numerous startups, deep talent pools, cloud providers, and research centers—driving investor interest and practical applications across sectors while facing questions about sustainability and competition.
Stifel Bank’s Minh Le Urges Startups to Use Two Banks and Highlights Stifel’s $250M FDIC-Insured Cash Sweep
Minh Le, Managing Director at Stifel Bank, advises startup founders to maintain two banks (a primary strategic bank and a backup), prioritize cash safety and liquidity (highlighting Stifel’s Insured Cash Sweep offering up to $250M FDIC coverage), and consider bank choice based on platform, relationships, and product fit rather than just UI. He discusses pros and cons of Stifel, big banks, and fintechs like Mercury and Brex, and offers practical guidance on sweep accounts, treasuries, venture debt terms, working-capital facilities, and equipment financing.
Former Microsoft engineers Koukoumidis and Elachqar launch Bellevue AI lab Oumi with $10M seed round
Bellevue-based AI lab Oumi, founded by former Microsoft engineers Manos Koukoumidis and Oussama Elachqar, launched with $10 million in seed funding to build a collaboration platform for AI researchers and developers and has partnered with academics from Caltech, MIT, UW and Stanford. The startup has 10 employees, one research fellow, dozens of founding scholars, and space in UW's Global Innovation Exchange in Bellevue.
Seattle Startup Overland AI Raises $32M Series A to Develop Off-Road Autonomous Tech for U.S. Military
Seattle startup Overland AI raised $32 million in a Series A funding round led by 8VC to advance its off-road autonomous driving technology for the U.S. military. The company, founded in 2022, has contracts with the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and DARPA to develop systems enabling robotic vehicles to operate in complex terrain without GPS or human drivers.
Seattle VCs, Including Pioneer Square Labs, Invest $8.5M in Denver Startup Kamiwaza to Boost Enterprise AI Adoption
Kamiwaza, a Denver-based startup founded in 2023, raised $8.5 million in a seed round led by S3 Ventures and Pioneer Square Labs to provide a software platform enabling enterprise AI adoption without major data migration. The company's tools support AI across cloud, on-premise, and edge infrastructure, serving Fortune 500 and government clients.
Seattle Startup Lumen Orbit Raises $11M Seed Round to Build Space-Based Data Centers for AI
Lumen Orbit, a Seattle-area startup founded in 2023, raised $11 million in seed funding to develop data centers in space for AI and technology services on Earth. The company, valued at $40 million, plans to launch a full-scale prototype in 2025 and is led by CEO Philip Johnston and co-founders with aerospace and space tech backgrounds.
Fund History
People
See all 6-
Kirby Winfield Founder, Founder and Founding General Partner
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Court Lorenzini LP Investor
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Jen Haller Partner and Chief Of Staff
