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
Neuramill founders Nistha Mitra and Nick Khormaei build software to capture retiring machinists' know‑how; win six‑figure defense contract
Neuramill, founded last year by Seattle-born engineers Nistha Mitra and Nick Khormaei, is building software that captures veteran machinists' tacit knowledge to generate manufacturing plans for aerospace and defense shops. The startup has early traction including a six-figure contract with an unnamed prime defense contractor and pilot users such as Diamond Machine Works, VTN Manufacturing and Astranis.
Hearvana AI Raises $6M Oversubscribed Pre-seed Led by Point72 Ventures and SCB 10X
Hearvana AI, a Seattle startup building auditory intelligence to improve sound perception for humans and machines, raised $6 million in an oversubscribed pre-seed round led by Point72 Ventures and SCB 10X. The company will expand engineering and go-to-market teams and launch commercial pilots with consumer electronics and AI partners.
Seattle Tech Week 2026 Draws ~250 Events Over Five Days, Showcasing City’s Tech Talent and Innovation
Seattle Tech Week 2026 ran five days with roughly 250 events across diverse venues, celebrating Seattle’s dense tech talent and community connections while highlighting themes from founders, investors, and academics. Organizers view the event as a community-led showcase that reinforced Seattle’s historic and ongoing contributions to cloud, AI, and other innovations.
GeekWire reports: Seattle Tech Week 2026 — AI dominates 250+ events as investors and job-seekers flock to Seattle
GeekWire's Todd Bishop reports from Seattle Tech Week 2026, where AI dominated conversations across more than 250 events and drew significant Bay Area investor interest and job-seeking attendees. Panels and speakers from OpenAI, Mistral AI, Ascend, Oumi and others highlighted debates about foundation models, enterprise data access, and the rush to build on third-party AI.
AI House Co-founder Jacob Colker Delivers Rallying Cry for Seattle’s Tech Community at Showbox Market
AI House co-founder and managing director Jacob Colker delivered a passionate rallying speech at a Seattle Tech Week event, urging Seattle to reconnect around community and recognize its outsized impact on technology. He praised local institutions and companies like Boeing, Amazon, Microsoft and the University of Washington while warning that residents have grown numb to the city’s achievements.
Ascend series: Seattle’s ‘Third Act’ — physical AI startups on Lake Union signal a shift toward software-enabled hardware
The piece reports from Lake Union to argue Seattle is entering a third industrial era—'physical AI'—where hardware-enabled intelligent machines mix with legacy maritime and aerospace industries, exemplified by startups like Overland, Anduril, Brinc, and Endurance Energy. The authors say Seattle has the talent, infrastructure, and institutions to lead but needs more risk-taking, investor capital for hardware, and pro-innovation policy to fully capitalize on this shift.
Endurance Energy Raises $54M Series A to Advance Deep-Ocean Geothermal Infrastructure
Endurance Energy, a Seattle developer of deep-ocean geothermal energy harvesting infrastructure, raised $54 million in a Series A funding round.
StitcherAI launches in Seattle with $3M pre-seed to build an IT Finance system of intelligence
StitcherAI, a Seattle-based company building an IT Finance system of intelligence, launched with $3 million in pre-seed funding.
StitcherAI Launches with $3M Pre-Seed to Embed Real-Time AI Spending Data into Engineering Tools
StitcherAI launched with $3 million in pre-seed funding to provide real-time AI and cloud cost data directly in decision-making tools, aiming to prevent overspending. Founded by Seattle tech veterans Udam Dewaraja and Varun Mittal, the company avoids traditional dashboards by integrating spending context where humans and AI agents operate.
AI Startup Oumi, Founded by Microsoft and Google Veterans, Launches Platform for Custom AI Models
Seattle-based AI startup Oumi, founded by veterans from Microsoft and Google, launched a commercial platform focused on building custom AI models. The company aims to outperform general-purpose AI from providers like OpenAI and Anthropic by specializing in smaller, tailored models.
Seattle AI2 Incubator Director Jacob Colker Challenges Tech Exodus Narrative Amid Washington Tax Debate
Jacob Colker, managing director at AI2 Incubator, pushed back against negative narratives about Seattle's tech industry decline, arguing that recent tax proposals won't outweigh the region's strong innovation ecosystem. His message sparked varied reactions from local tech leaders about Seattle's future amid potential tax changes.
Overland AI Raises $100M Led by 8VC to Expand ULTRA Autonomous Vehicles for U.S. Military
Seattle-based Overland AI raised $100 million led by 8VC to meet military demand for its ULTRA autonomous ground vehicles, expanding its technology for off-road, GPS-denied environments. The company, spun out of the University of Washington in 2022, partners with various U.S. military divisions and has raised over $140 million to date.
Ascend survey: 89% of ~70 early-stage VC-backed startups use AI, many reporting 25–60% smaller teams than in 2021
An Ascend survey of ~70 mostly early-stage, West Coast VC-backed startups finds 89% use AI—often multiple models—to reduce headcount needs and hiring plans, with many founders reporting 25–60% fewer employees required versus 2021 and engineering, marketing, and customer support most affected.
Nate Bek and Kirby Winfield invest in AZX’s $6M pre-Seed round to scale vertical AI for critical infrastructure
Nate Bek and Kirby Winfield announce a $6 million pre-Seed investment in AZX, a 2024-founded vertical AI platform for critical infrastructure serving utilities and energy operators, citing 10x revenue growth, customers like Puget Sound Energy and CBRE, and a team led by CEO Aaron Goldfeder.
Seattle Startup AZX Raises $6M to Develop Custom AI Solutions for Energy Sector Amid 10x Revenue Growth
AZX, a Bellevue-based startup founded by Seattle tech veterans, raised $6 million in a pre-seed round as its Q1 revenue grew tenfold year-over-year. The company builds custom AI solutions for energy and utility clients using advanced AI technologies integrated into existing systems.
Seattle Startup Overland AI Partners with CAL FIRE to Test Autonomous 4-Wheelers for Wildfire Response
Seattle startup Overland AI is partnering with CAL FIRE to test its self-driving 4-wheelers for wildfire resupply and logistics, marking the technology's first use in civilian firefighting applications beyond its military background. Overland AI, founded in 2022, has existing contracts with U.S. defense agencies and recently raised $32 million to expand production capabilities.
Seattle’s UW research, Amazon alumni and military adjacency fuel startups building high-stakes, regulation-ready AI for biotech, finance and government
A Seattle high-school intern argues that strict school AI rules illuminated why AI must be disciplined in high-stakes domains, and describes how Seattle's research institutions (notably UW and the David Baker ecosystem), Amazon alumni, and military adjacency produce founders building accountable, regulation-ready AI for biotech, finance, and government.
Govstream.ai Raises $3.6M Seed Round Led by 47th Street Partners to Scale AI Permitting for Cities
Govstream.ai, a Seattle startup selling AI-powered permitting software to local governments, raised $3.6 million in a seed round led by 47th Street Partners and supported by existing backers and government tech veterans. The company says its AI shortens permitting timelines, reduces staff burden and aims to enable more predictable approvals to help cities increase housing supply.
Ascend Ventures backs Govstream.ai with $3.6M Seed led by 47th Street Partners to modernize municipal permitting
Ascend Ventures invested in Govstream.ai, a startup building AI-native permitting tools to shorten municipal permitting timelines; the $3.6 million Seed round was led by 47th Street Partners with Nellore Capital participating, and Govstream plans to expand its six-person team and hire engineers, AI, and product roles.
Seattle Startup Govstream.ai Raises $3.6M Seed Round to Accelerate City Permitting with AI
Seattle-based startup Govstream.ai raised $3.6 million in seed funding to enhance city permitting processes using AI, initially deploying their platform with the City of Bellevue. Their AI-driven tool assists city staff by answering questions, checking documents, and accelerating application reviews to support housing development and urban planning.
Fuse Leads $10 Million Seed Round in Avante as VC Investment Surges Amid AI Boom, Say Panelists
At a Seattle AI Week panel, Fuse's Kellan Carter and Avante CEO Rohan D’Souza shared that early-stage startups should focus on solving specific problems, building strong conviction, and prioritizing distribution amid the AI boom. Fuse led Avante’s $10 million seed round in late 2023, highlighting the importance of trust and relationships between founders and investors during the current venture capital landscape where AI drives significant funding.
Ascend joins SNR Capital in $2M seed for Limelight to automate personality-led B2B marketing
Ascend invested in Limelight’s $2 million seed round alongside lead investor SNR Capital; Limelight provides an AI platform that automates creator discovery, activation, and ROI measurement to scale personality-led B2B marketing. The company plans to expand into an autonomous AI-driven B2B marketing workforce, and founders David Walsh and Youngjae Ji bring deep go-to-market and technical experience.
Seattle Startup Hearvana Raises $6M to Develop AI-Driven Sound Enhancement Technology
Seattle startup Hearvana, founded by University of Washington researchers including Shyam Gollakota, raised $6 million in pre-seed funding to develop AI-powered sound enhancement technology for devices like earbuds and hearing aids. Their AI platform enables real-time, on-device audio processing to improve listening in complex and noisy environments.
Seattle's Founders' Co-op Raises $50M Sixth Fund to Back Early-Stage Pacific Northwest Tech Startups
Seattle venture firm Founders' Co-op has raised a $50 million sixth fund, focusing on early-stage Pacific Northwest tech startups with initial investments of $1 million to $1.5 million. Founded in 2008, the firm has backed billion-dollar companies like Remitly, Outreach, and Auth0 and aims to invest in about 30 new companies without targeting specific verticals.
Unlock Ventures leads $5M seed in Hyphen AI to automate multi-cloud deployments without hand-written infrastructure code
Unlock Ventures led a $5 million seed round in Hyphen AI, which offers Deploy, an AI-driven platform that translates developer intent into production-grade, multi-cloud infrastructure without hand-written IaC to speed secure deployments and enforce policy.
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
