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
Bellevue VC Fuse Raises $250M Second Fund, Reaching $420M Total Since 2020
Bellevue-based venture capital firm Fuse raised $250 million for its second fund, bringing its total raised to $420 million across two funds since launching in 2020. The firm will continue investing in Pacific Northwest and western Canada B2B tech startups, leading seed and Series A rounds with $1 million–$10 million checks.
Seattle’s Founders Bash 2023 Highlights AI’s Role as Transformational Yet Nuanced Tech Wave
At Founders Bash 2023 in Seattle, over 1,000 entrepreneurs and investors gathered to celebrate the tech innovation sector, with many discussing the impact of AI. Attendees like Charlotte Massey and Saurabh Jain viewed AI as both a useful creative tool and a transformational wave with significant potential to automate inefficiencies.
Kirby Winfield on Growth of Seattle's Venture Ecosystem
Kirby Winfield speaks about his experience being an operator in Seattle over the past 30 years, how the venture ecosystem has evolved throughout the years and some similarities and differences between the venture landscape in the 90s/early 2000s and today. Kirby Winfield is a Seattle-based founder, operator and now investor. From 1996-2015, Kirby led 4 startups, either as a co-founder and/or executive from start to exit (2 IPOs and 2 acquisitions). He then began angel investing and in 2019 he launched Ascend VC, which is now the most active pre-seed VC firm in the Pacific Northwest investing out of their…
Outbound AI raises $16M seed to expand AI virtual agents for healthcare revenue-cycle administration
Seattle-based Outbound AI raised $16 million in seed funding to expand its AI-powered virtual agents that handle healthcare revenue-cycle administrative tasks like eligibility verification, claims status, and prior authorization.
Seattle Startup Meetingflow Raises $760K to Expand AI Platform Improving Sales Meeting Efficiency
Seattle startup Meetingflow, formerly Panda.AI, raised $760,000 from previous investors to grow its AI-driven platform that enhances sales meetings by automating preparation, note-taking, and follow-ups, led by CEO Aaron Goldfeder. The pivot aims to address inefficient client meeting processes by integrating calendar, CRM, and OpenAI’s GPT technology.
Groopit Raises $3.5M to Expand Employee Data Crowdsourcing Platform with Generative AI Tools
Groopit, an employee data crowdsourcing startup founded by ex-Microsoft leaders Tammy Savage and John Vert, raised $3.5 million to expand its go-to-market strategy and develop generative AI tools. The company's platform gathers real-time insights from employees across multiple tools like Microsoft Teams and Slack, applying a unique 'crowdsolving' model to business data collection.
Seattle VC Firm Ascend Raises $25M Second Fund to Boost AI Investments Amid Market Downturn
Seattle-based pre-seed venture capital firm Ascend, led by Kirby Winfield, raised a $25 million second fund focused on doubling down on artificial intelligence investments amid a challenging startup funding environment. Winfield, who has backed over 70 startups, predicts a further valuation correction but remains committed to early-stage investing.
Ascend’s Kirby Winfield closes $25M second fund to back pre-seed AI/ML startups in Pacific Northwest
Seattle-based VC Ascend, led by founder and solo GP Kirby Winfield, closed a $25 million second fund to invest in pre-seed AI and ML startups primarily in the Pacific Northwest, shifting focus away from brands and marketplaces.
Kirby Winfield, Founding GP at Ascend VC
In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Kirby Winfield, Founding GP at Ascend VC, about his love for angel investing and the passion he feels in providing founder-friendly venture capital with genuine value to add to their partners’ offerings. By leaning into projects they have a genuine love for and interest in, Ascend gives so much more than just capital, forging a unique identity among a crowded field of VC firms through real commitment and support to turn business aspirations into commercial reality. We also speak about Kirby’s background in the startup space and taki...
Seattle’s Foundation, led by ex-Staples exec Shiv Agarwal, raises $3M seed to expand its B2B wholesale e-commerce platform
Seattle startup Foundation, led by former Staples exec Shiv Agarwal, raised a $3 million seed round to grow its B2B wholesale e-commerce platform focused exclusively on streamlining wholesale transactions. Foundation connects manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers to simplify ordering, inventory sharing, and logistics integration.
Seattle Startup Groundlight Raises $10M Seed to Revolutionize Warehouse Monitoring with AI and Natural Language Computer Vision
Seattle startup Groundlight, co-founded by former Amazon and Picobrew execs Leo Dirac and Avi Geiger, emerged from stealth with a $10 million seed fund to simplify warehouse monitoring using AI-powered computer vision. Their platform enables businesses to query real-time video feeds through natural language prompts for instant, customizable insights.
EP 38: AI, Content & ChatGPT w/ Stew Fortier of type.ai and Kirby Winfield of Ascend.VC
We have two fantastic guests joining us today. First up, Kirby Winfield, an investor in AI-based companies. He has his own fund and a residency at the Allen Institute for AI in Seattle. Our second guest is Stew Fortier, an entrepreneur who has focused on content-related businesses, such as Foster and Well Said Labs. Currently, he is the co-founder and CEO of type.ai. Together, we explore the potential of AI-generated content, its implications for businesses, and how it can enhance customer experience. Kirby and Stew share their expertise and insights on the evolution of AI chat and its impact on…
What's next in the Silicon Valley Bank saga
Startups and investors cheered the U.S. government's promise this weekend to fully protect deposits after the Silicon Valley Bank collapse. But the move left many unresolved questions and challenges for the U.S. financial system and the tech industry. Our guests on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast discuss their recent experiences and offer their informed opinions on what could come next. Speaking with GeekWire co-founder John Cook are: Kirby Winfield, founding general partner of Seattle venture capital firm Ascend; and Aviel Ginzburg, general partner at Seattle VC firm Founders’ Co-op. They both reflect on what happened last week, explaining how…
Seattle Startup Keyplay Raises $3M Led by MHS Capital to Launch Sales Lead Aggregation Platform
Seattle startup Keyplay, co-founded by Adam Schoenfeld, raised $3 million led by MHS Capital to launch a subscription platform that aggregates and scores sales leads. The platform integrates multiple data sources to help sales teams identify potential accounts and currently serves eight customers with plans to expand offerings by mid-2023.
Building Startup ecosystems, the solo GP life, and lessons from the dotcom bubble with Kirby Winfield of Ascend.Vc
The road of a solo GP is full of highs and lows, and today’s guest Kirby Winfield has been through all of it. After working in the 90s tech and startup scene in Seattle, Kirby went on to found Ascend VC as a solo GP. We talk about his biggest lessons, the best advice he’s gotten, and dig into some of the stories from the trenches as an emerging manager.About Kirby Winfield:Kirby Winfield is currently the Founding General Partner at Ascend.vc, a pre-seed stage venture fund investing in marketplace, e-commerce/DTC, and B2B...
#27 Geoff Harris: Managing Partner Flying Fish VC
In this episode of Startup Project we spoke to Geoff Harris, Managing Partner Flying Fish VC. Flying Fish is a thesis driven fund focused on Al/ML. Geoff Harris spent 15 years at Microsoft in engineering leadership and executive leadership positions. His career at Microsoft began in digital media where he ran the Windows Media Player team. Full conversation includes: Developing Natural language processing at Microsoft Angel investing to raising a fund Core insight behind Flying Fish AI Use cases for future Web3 & Venture ----- Past guests of Startup Project podcast include Ali Moiz (stonks.com), Kirby Winfield (Ascend.vc), Eric Bahn…
GeekWire Elevator Pitch Final Episode Features Seattle Sustainability Startups Competing for 2022 Summit Finale Spot
The final episode of GeekWire's Elevator Pitch features three Seattle-area sustainability startup CEOs pitching their innovations in a timed elevator ride, with the winner advancing to the live finale at the 2022 GeekWire Summit on October 6. The startups include Strella Biotechnology, BattGenie, and Aquagga, focusing on produce ripeness sensing, battery longevity, and PFAS destruction respectively.
Seattle Startup Outbound AI Launches PayerVA Console to Automate Medical Insurance Claims Processing
Outbound AI, a Seattle startup spun out of Madrona Venture Labs with $7 million in seed funding, launched PayerVA Console, a software product that automates and expedites medical insurance claims processing by reducing time spent on payer communications. The tool transcribes calls, extracts key information, and assists human workers to alleviate burdensome tasks in the healthcare payment system.
GeekWire’s Elevator Pitch S3 Features PairTree, Spot Tot, and Welcome Home CEOs Pitching Consumer Startups
GeekWire's Elevator Pitch season three features three consumer startup CEOs—Erin Quick of PairTree, Robin Waterman of Spot Tot, and Ashley Michael of Welcome Home—pitching their companies to a panel of judges in Seattle's Smith Tower. The season's finale will occur on October 6, 2022, at the GeekWire Summit.
GeekWire's Elevator Pitch Season 3 Features Startup CEOs Pitching in Smith Tower Elevator to Win Finals at October 2022 Summit
GeekWire’s Elevator Pitch returns with a competition where entrepreneurs pitch startups like Radious, Tribute, and Humanly.io in 32 seconds during an elevator ride to Seattle's Smith Tower. The season includes a series of episodes leading to a live finale at the 2022 GeekWire Summit on October 6.
Fintech Startup Formations Raises $8M to Simplify Taxes for Freelancers with Focus on Realtors
Bellevue-based fintech startup Formations raised $8 million to simplify tax and paperwork processes for self-employed individuals, initially targeting realtors. The company has served about 700 customers with average savings of $8,000 each and recently partnered with Gusto to expand its services.
#17 Founding Partner of Ascend.vc: Kirby Winfield on all things Venture | Startup Project by Nataraj
In this Episode of Startup project (https://thestartupproject.io/) , Nataraj talked to Kirby Winfield, Founding GP of Ascend.vc (pre-seed fund based in Seattle). Prior to founding Ascend.vc, Kirby was part of founding teams at Go2Net (GNET), Marchex (MCHX), Dwellable (Acquired by Home Away (AWAY)) & AdXpose (Acquired by comScore (SCOR)). Full conversation includes: - Through line of a successful career - How can companies strategize for an exit? - The why behind starting a pre-seed fund? - Helping startups from zero to one - Price discovery of startups in current private markets Follow Kirby on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/winfield/. Checkout Ascend.vc for…
BearTax raises $3.2M seed round led by Seattle VC Ascend; Tela Andrews leads company after acquisition
Seattle-based BearTax, which helps cryptocurrency investors prepare taxes, raised a $3.2 million seed round led by Ascend and is led by Tela Andrews after he acquired the business and brought on former Avalara colleagues.
Betterment to acquire Seattle crypto robo-advisor Makara, joining crypto investing to its $32B platform
Betterment agreed to acquire Seattle crypto robo-advisor Makara, which launched in May 2021 and offers thematic crypto baskets; Betterment manages $32 billion for nearly 700,000 clients. Makara spun out of Strix Leviathan, was founded by Jesse Proudman and others, and raised about $3 million in seed funding while pursuing a Series A.
Unlock Venture Partners raises $60M second fund to back Seattle and L.A. startups, bringing total raised to $85M
Unlock Venture Partners, a seed-stage firm focused on Seattle and Los Angeles startups, raised a $60 million second fund and has now raised more than $85 million total to back early-stage companies including gaming, Web3 and metaverse plays.
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
