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
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.
Madrona's Steve Singh on 6 tech trends to watch post-COVID
The 2021 virtual GeekWire Awards were held this week, recognizing the top companies, innovators, entrepreneurs and technologies in the Pacific Northwest, as nominated and chosen by the GeekWire community — along with celebrity cameos. On this special episode of the GeekWire Podcast, we’re featuring highlights from a behind-the-scenes conversation with former Docker and Concur CEO Steve Singh, managing director of Madrona Venture Group, which was hosted for finalists in advance of the awards by GeekWire co-founder John Cook. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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.
Madrona’s Dan Li: Niche, Creator-Driven Communities Like Roblox ($30B) and Clubhouse (~$1B) Are Rising
Madrona partner Dan Li says niche, user-populated online communities — exemplified by Roblox (valued at $30B) and Clubhouse (about $1B) — are growing more important as creators produce sticky, original content, a trend accelerated by the pandemic. He discussed these themes on GeekWire Studios’ podcast 2025: Tomorrow, Today, hosted by John Cook and Jordon Voss.
Founders’ Co-op raises $50M fifth fund to back 20–25 Pacific Northwest early-stage startups
Seattle venture firm Founders’ Co-op raised a $50 million fifth fund, its largest to date, to invest in 20–25 early-stage startups across the Pacific Northwest. The larger fund reflects growing deal sizes and outside LP interest as the region sees record startup funding and more unicorns.
TiE Seattle VC Panel: 2020 Ended with Record Startup Funding and SPAC Surge, Investors Expect Strong 2021
A TiE Seattle panel of four Seattle-area VCs said despite early pandemic layoffs and valuation fears, 2020 ended with record startup funding, VC capital raises, and strong exits, and they expect continued momentum in 2021 driven by SPAC activity and pandemic-driven innovation. Panelists highlighted increased founding activity, higher valuations, and pandemic-forced business improvements creating investor opportunities.
Cloud City Venture Capital, founded by Jim Brisimitzis and Kevin Ober, raises fund to back 5G, edge and AI startups
Cloud City Venture Capital, founded earlier this year in Seattle by Jim Brisimitzis and Kevin Ober, is raising a new fund to invest in startups at the intersection of 5G, edge networks and artificial intelligence. Both founders have deep Seattle tech and VC ties—Brisimitzis with Microsoft and the 5G Open Innovation Lab, Ober from Divergent Ventures and Vulcan Ventures.
2048 Ventures Hires Seattle Investor Minda Brusse to Lead Pre-Seed Sourcing in Seattle and Portland
NYC-based 2048 Ventures has hired Seattle investor Minda Brusse as a venture partner to source pre-seed investments in Seattle and Portland while she remains at First Row Partners; 2048 launched last year with a $27 million fund and has backed 29 companies.
Seattle VC Flying Fish files to raise $75M 'Flying Fish Fund II' after $80M debut fund
Seattle venture capital firm Flying Fish, founded in 2018, is raising a second fund called Flying Fish Fund II with an SEC filing showing a $75 million offering; the firm previously raised an $80 million first fund and focuses on AI/ML startups in the Pacific Northwest.
Meet the VC: Kellan Carter of Fuse Venture Partners, Webinar
Meet the VC is a monthly panel event hosted by Early Growth and its partners. This month’s speaker is Kellan Carter of Fuse Venture Partners – an early-stage, venture capital fund investing in Seattle-based Seed and Series A companies that are reinventing the modern economy with software. We discussed fundraising, investment thesis, mental health, minority founders, the current investment climate and more. Learn more at www.earlygrowth.com.
Former Intellectual Ventures EVP Maurizio Vecchione named CEO of Washington Global Health Alliance; Shujinko hires three executives after $7.5M raise
Maurizio Vecchione, former Intellectual Ventures EVP, was named president and CEO of Seattle-based Washington Global Health Alliance and K.R. Prabha named board chair; Seattle startup Shujinko added three senior hires after a $7.5M raise; Oracle appointed Clay Magouyrk EVP for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and UW named Dr. Ekin Yasin director of its Communication Leadership graduate program.
Ignition Partners investors spin out Fuse Venture Partners led by Kellan Carter, Cameron Borumand and Seahawks star Bobby Wagner
A group of investors from Seattle VC firm Ignition Partners, including managing partner John Connors, have launched a spinoff called Fuse Venture Partners led by general partners Kellan Carter and Cameron Borumand and featuring Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner as a venture partner. Ignite will sunset its brand while Fuse focuses on doubling down in Seattle and managing new investments, with Wagner committing to active involvement.
The INDUStry Show with Kellan Carter
Kellan Carter is a Partner at Ignition Partners, a dedicated early-stage enterprise software VC firm. Kellan is also a board member and investor at several leading tech startups such as botkeeper, Icertis, and Symend. He led Symend's $7.5mn Series A earlier this month. Kellan is an alum of University of Montana. The INDUStry Show is a one-of-its-kind platform sharing journeys of global entrepreneurs from different walks of life. Witty, sharp, and insightful, we get to know the person behind the persona. Today, The INDUStry Show is a widely broadcast, global publication. Now in Season 5, we have garnered over a…
Fund History
People
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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
