Fuse
Facts
- HQ
- not provided in text
- Sectors
- Venture Capital, Software, Artificial Intelligence
- Last fund
- Fuse Venture Partners III, LP · 2026 SEC Form D
- Funds raised
- 3 funds SEC Form D filings
- Total capital
- $13.5M SEC Form D filings
Seattle Startup Stack Raises $2.7M to Build Crypto Investing and Education Platform for Teens
Seattle-based startup Stack raised $2.7 million to develop its education-focused crypto investing platform for teens, aiming to differentiate with tailored content alongside investment tools. The company plans iOS and Android app launches, targeting a waitlist of 5,000, backed by investors including Madrona Venture Group and Santa Clara Ventures.
Madrona Venture Group Opens Silicon Valley Office to Expand Investments Beyond Pacific Northwest
Seattle-based Madrona Venture Group is expanding beyond the Pacific Northwest by opening its first Silicon Valley office to increase investments outside its home region. Since 2019, the firm has raised over $261 million for an acceleration fund targeting more mature companies across North America, with about 15% of its portfolio now outside the Pacific Northwest.
Seattle VC Firm Fuse, Led by Three Under-40 Partners, Raised $170M and Seeks $250M for Second Fund
Seattle venture capital firm Fuse, led by three general partners all aged 35 or younger, raised $170 million for its first fund and is currently raising $250 million for its second. The firm focuses on early-stage Pacific Northwest software startups and is notable for both its youthful leadership and sizable funds.
Round, founded by ex-Microsoft leaders Ryan Fuller, Mani Gill and Brian Jansen, raises $12M seed to build vetted network for senior tech leaders
Round, a Seattle startup founded by former Microsoft leaders, raised a $12 million seed round to build a vetted network for senior tech leaders; other Pacific Northwest deals include PTO Exchange's $5.4 million raise and funding and licensing activity at PupPod.
Seattle-based Fuse leads $12M Series A for Vancouver hospitality software startup Operto
Vancouver hospitality-software startup Operto raised a $12 million Series A led by Seattle-based Fuse to fund growth; the 50-person company, led by CEO Steve Davis, reported 400% revenue growth in 2021.
Carbon Robotics unveils 2022 LaserWeeder with 30 CO2 lasers; sold out after orders, taking 2023 pre-orders
Seattle startup Carbon Robotics unveiled the 2022 LaserWeeder, a tractor-pulled AI and computer-vision system using 30 CO2 lasers to kill weeds, can cover ~2 acres/hour, has sold out and is taking 2023 pre-orders. Carbon, founded in 2018 by Paul Mikesell, has raised $36 million to date and employs 35 people; a Voyager Capital partner called it the fastest-growing company hes seen in 23 years.
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.
Seattle’s Stack Raises $500,000 to Launch March Crypto Investing Platform for Teens with Parental Co-Ownership
Seattle startup Stack is building a gamified crypto investing platform for teenagers and financially disenfranchised young people, launching in March with parental co-ownership and educational rewards. The company raised $500,000 in a pre-seed round from On Deck and Santa Clara Ventures and joined a Seattle fintech incubator.
Seattle VC Fuse announces $170 million inaugural fund, backing 17 Pacific Northwest B2B startups
Seattle-based early-stage VC firm Fuse disclosed its inaugural fund is $170 million, which has backed 17 Pacific Northwest B2B software startups and plans 25–30 total investments.
Zuper raises $13M Series A led by FUSE as ARR jumps 7x; serves HVAC, plumbing, cleaning and other field services
Seattle startup Zuper raised $13 million in a Series A to expand its field-service software for industries like HVAC, plumbing, and cleaning; the 55-person company, led by CEO Anand Subbaraj, grew ARR 7x last year.
GeekWire surveys Seattle-area VCs to name Pacific Northwest startups they predict will become unicorns in 2022
GeekWire surveyed more than a dozen Seattle-area venture capitalists for their picks of Pacific Northwest startups likely to reach unicorn status this year, compiling a list of candidate companies with reasons for each selection. The piece notes rising valuations nationwide and excludes VCs' own portfolio companies to reduce bias.
Pictory raises $2.1M seed from FUSE to automate short-form video production for 5,000+ customers
Seattle startup Pictory raised a $2.1 million seed round to scale its AI software that converts long-form videos and text into short-form clips, serving over 5,000 customers. The company, founded in 2019 by Vikram Chalana, Abid Mohammed, and Vishal Chalana, is led by CEO Vikram Chalana and backed by FUSE, Voyager Capital and several Seattle angel investors.
Kirby Winfield, ex-founder and exec, raises $15M for Ascend.vc to back Pacific Northwest early-stage startups
Kirby Winfield, a longtime Seattle startup leader who experienced burnout after multiple exits, founded Ascend.vc to invest in early-stage Pacific Northwest tech companies and raised a $15 million first fund after recovering his health and shifting from founder roles to venture investing.
Carbon Robotics raises $27M to scale AI laser weed-zapping robots as farmers report pesticide-free savings
Seattle startup Carbon Robotics raised $27 million to scale its AI-powered, laser-based autonomous weed-removal robots, which farmers say cut pesticide use, save time, and improve soil health while the company has sold out 2021–2022 models and reported over $20 million in bookings.
Solo, founded by ex-Uber and Convoy vets, raises $5.5M seed to predict and guarantee gig workers' earnings
Seattle startup Solo, founded by ex-Uber and Convoy employees, raised a $5.5 million seed round to provide hour-by-hour earnings predictions and a guarantee to top up gig workers' pay if predictions fall short, with plans to expand into insurance, taxes, and mileage tracking.
Seattle startups raise record $3.1B in H1 2021, producing 12 local unicorns as Auth0 exits for $6.5B
Seattle-area startups raised a record $3.1 billion across 205 deals in H1 2021, driven by mega-rounds that produced at least 12 local unicorns and broader Pacific Northwest tech funding topping $5 billion. National VC activity and IPO/M&A dollar volumes are also surpassing prior records, with major exits like Auth0’s $6.5 billion acquisition by Okta highlighting regional maturation.
WellSaid Labs raises $10M Series A led by Fuse to expand AI text-to-speech platform
Seattle-based WellSaid Labs raised $10 million in a Series A round led by Fuse to expand its AI-driven text-to-speech platform, building on a $2 million 2019 seed and backing from investors including Voyager Capital, Qualcomm Ventures and Good Friends. The funding will support research, product hires and sales expansion to scale the startup’s natural-sounding synthetic voice offerings.
Former Rover CTO Scott Porad named Dolly’s first CTO as Dolly plans headcount, sales expansion; Regi Vengalil to become Metromile CFO in May
Scott Porad, former Rover CTO, has joined Seattle peer-to-peer moving app Dolly as its first chief technology officer as the startup plans to double headcount and sales; Regi Vengalil will leave Egencia in May to become CFO of Metromile, a pay-per-mile insurer.
Brendan Wales joins Seattle VC Fuse as third founding GP as firm raises more than $118M for Fund I
Brendan Wales, a longtime Bay Area startup investor, has joined Seattle-based VC firm Fuse as its third founding general partner, and Fuse has raised over $118 million (nearly $120M) for its first fund to invest in B2B software across the Pacific Northwest.
Coinbase IPO Soars to $85 Billion, Nets Windfalls for Early Backers Including Version One Ventures
Coinbase’s IPO pushed its valuation to $85 billion and delivered major returns to early investors like Version One Ventures, which made a highly profitable bet years ago. The article examines how Seattle and Pacific Northwest investors view crypto and blockchain as the region seeks to grow its fintech presence amid emerging local startups and initiatives.
Isilon co-founder Paul Mikesell’s Carbon Robotics unveils Autonomous Weeder that zaps 100,000 weeds/hour with AI-guided lasers
Carbon Robotics, founded by Isilon co‑founder Paul Mikesell, unveiled a self-driving Autonomous Weeder that uses AI vision and laser thermal bursts to identify and kill weeds in vegetable fields. The tractor-sized robot can cover up to 16 acres per day and zap as many as 100,000 weeds per hour, aiming to lower the cost of growing organic produce.
Dendron raises $2M seed to scale IDE-style open-source note tool, founded by ex-AWS engineers Kevin Lin and Kiran Pathakota
Seattle-based open-source note-taking startup Dendron raised $2 million in seed funding to scale a tool that applies IDE-style structure to managing large personal and institutional information, founded by ex-AWS engineer Kevin Lin and former Amazon TPM Kiran Pathakota.
Seahawks Linebacker Bobby Wagner Joins Fuse Venture Partners as Venture Partner, Investing in Early-Stage Seattle Startups
Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner is a venture partner at Fuse Venture Partners, investing in early-stage Seattle startups while applying negotiation and leadership lessons from his NFL career; he discussed these topics and his angel investments on GeekWire Studios' podcast 2025: Tomorrow, Today.
Seattle VCs Report 28% Women in Senior Roles, Nearly Double U.S. Average of 14.2%
Seattle-area venture capital firms have nearly double the national share of women in senior roles (28% vs. 14.2%), with 25 women among 88 partners across 21 Washington firms, though overall parity remains distant and 61% of U.S. VC firms still have no women in key decision-making roles.
Pioneer Square Labs raises $100M Fund II to back 30+ Pacific Northwest startups with $1–3M initial checks
Seattle-based Pioneer Square Labs raised $100 million for its second venture fund, exceeding its $80 million target due to strong institutional demand, and will invest across more than 30 early-stage Pacific Northwest companies with initial checks of $1–3 million. The firm operates a startup studio (raised $29 million) and a venture fund model that splits capital roughly half to studio spinouts and half to external startups.
Fund History
People
See all 5-
Brendan Wales Founder, Co-founder and Founding Partner
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Cameron Borumand Founder, Co-Founder and General Partner
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John Connors Executive, Former CFO of Microsoft, Operating Partner
