Ascend

General contacts
Investor type

VC

Founded

2019

AUM

$140 M

Location

Seattle, Washington, United States

Investment Ticket

$0-1 m

Investment Stage

Pre-seed Seed

Region of investment

North America
Investor profile last updated: 16 August, 2026

Profile

Ascend is a venture capital firm based in Seattle, focusing on pre-seed investments. It was founded by a team with a keen interest in supporting startups, particularly those emerging from the rich talent pool of Seattle, where one in four AI engineers in the United States resides. The firm stands out due to its active engagement with early-stage tech ventures in the Pacific Northwest and its commitment to backing innovative solutions driven by cutting-edge technology.

Ascend invests primarily in AI-driven startups with interests spanning across multiple sectors, including HealthTech, Internet and Web Services, and Generative AI platforms. The firm offers investment support to ventures at pre-seed stages, predominantly focusing on the North American tech landscape. It manages funds targeting early-stage venture investments and leverages its local expertise to nurture pioneering projects through the initial stages of development.

Notable investments by Ascend include Adyn, a company setting new standards for birth control; Aerolane, specializing in cost-effective air services; Athanor AI, focusing on hardware and software verification; Atypical AI, which offers comprehensive AI tools for education; and AZX, delivering AI solutions for infrastructure industries.

Industry

Life Sciences Technology MedTech AI Blockchain/Crypto Transportation Telecommunications Software SaaS Pharmaceuticals Other Internet and Web Services Healthcare Services Foodtech Food and Beverage Fintech Financial Services Fashion/Beauty E-commerce/Marketplace Consumer Products Business Services (B2B) Infrastructure Energy LegalTech HealthTech Machine Learning (ML)

Ascend Funds

Name Type
Questionare
Industry
Questionare
Stage
Questionare
Region 		Size AUM Launch date
Ascend Venture Capital I
Venture Capital (VC)
SaaS
Software
AI
Machine Learning (ML)
Pre-seed
Seed
North America
$5-10 m
$140 M
August 2019

Contacts

Name
Title
Email
Social Networks
avatar
Kirby Winfield ounding General Partner
ounding General Partner
k•••@•••
LinkedIn
avatar
Thomas Stahura Analyst
Analyst
t•••@•••
LinkedIn
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Investment-team contacts for Ascend — including verified work emails and LinkedIn profiles — are available to Private Equity List subscribers.
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Contacts sourced from the firm's website and LinkedIn, re-verified on a rolling cycle. Spot a stale contact, or none at all? Report it — we re-run that firm within 48h and get back to you.

FAQs about Ascend

Ascend is a venture capital firm. It backs companies at Pre-seed and Seed, writing tickets of $0-1 m.
Ascend is located in Seattle, Washington, United States.
Ascend was founded in 2019.
Ascend invests in companies and startups in Life Sciences, Technology, MedTech, AI, Blockchain/Crypto, Transportation, Telecommunications, Software, SaaS, Pharmaceuticals, Other, Internet and Web Services, Healthcare Services, Foodtech, Food and Beverage, Fintech, Financial Services, Fashion/Beauty, E-commerce/Marketplace, Consumer Products, Business Services (B2B), Infrastructure, Energy, LegalTech, HealthTech, Machine Learning (ML).
Ascend invests in companies and startups in North America.
Ascend invests in companies and startups at Pre-seed, Seed.
Ascend usually invests $0-1 m on average.
Ascend has around $140m assets under management.
Ascend last fund was created/launched in 2019-08-15
Ascend can be reached through its website ascend.vc, its LinkedIn page and its X account. Its general enquiries address is [email protected]. Cold-mailing a general inbox rarely reaches a partner, so Private Equity List also lists the investment-team contacts for Ascend — names, roles, verified work emails and LinkedIn profiles — available on a Pro plan from $129/month (see pricing). Contacts are sourced from the firm's website and LinkedIn and re-verified on a rolling cycle. Spot a stale contact, or none at all? Report it — we re-run that firm within 48h and get back to you.
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Private Equity List re-verifies investor profiles on a rolling cycle, pulling from the firm's own website and LinkedIn rather than a one-off import. This profile was last updated on 16 August, 2026. Something out of date here? Report it — we re-run that firm within 48h and get back to you.