The most active pre-seed venture fund in the Pacific Northwest, backing AI-first founders across three theses: vertical AI agents ('SaaS 3.0'), generative-AI infrastructure fast-followers, and 'Frontier AI' — AI applied to the physical world.

How much does Ascend VC manage?

Ascend VC manages not disclosed (Fund I $15M closed 2019, Fund II $25M closed 2023) in assets, and was founded in 2019.

What stages does Ascend VC invest at?

Ascend VC invests at Pre-Seed, with typical checks of $250K–$750K.

All funds

FundVerifiedPro

Ascend VC

Venture capital investor across Overland AI's Series A and Series B rounds.

Ascend VC is a Seattle-based pre-seed fund founded in 2019 by Kirby Winfield (Founding General Partner), joined by partner Jen Haller. It backs AI-first founders across SaaS, generative-AI infrastructure, and 'Frontier AI' applied to the physical world, and has participated across Overland AI's seed, Series A, and Series B rounds.

Overview

Firm: Ascend VC
Headquarters: Seattle, WA
Founded: 2019
AUM: not disclosed (Fund I $15M closed 2019, Fund II $25M closed 2023)
Avg. check: $250K–$750K
Stages: Pre-Seed
Thesis: The most active pre-seed venture fund in the Pacific Northwest, backing AI-first founders across three theses: vertical AI agents ('SaaS 3.0'), generative-AI infrastructure fast-followers, and 'Frontier AI' — AI applied to the physical world.
Website: www.ascend.vc

Portfolio companies1

CompanyOverland AISeattle-based builder of ULTRA, an autonomous ground-vehicle platform for off-road military logistics/resupply and ground autonomy.

Partners0

No linked records yet.

Frequently asked

What is Ascend VC?: The most active pre-seed venture fund in the Pacific Northwest, backing AI-first founders across three theses: vertical AI agents ('SaaS 3.0'), generative-AI infrastructure fast-followers, and 'Frontier AI' — AI applied to the physical world.
How much does Ascend VC manage?: Ascend VC manages not disclosed (Fund I $15M closed 2019, Fund II $25M closed 2023) in assets, and was founded in 2019.
What stages does Ascend VC invest at?: Ascend VC invests at Pre-Seed, with typical checks of $250K–$750K.

Sources & citations3

Each claim links to its underlying source. Confidence reflects how directly the source supports the claim.

1
Ascend VC's own thesis: pre-seed, AI-first founders, three theses (vertical AI agents, gen-AI infra, Frontier AI); $250K-$750K checks
Ascend VC: Ascend VC — About
Verified2026-08-09
2
Ascend VC founded 2019 by Kirby Winfield; Fund II $25M closed 2023
TechCrunch: Ascend raises $25 million for pre-seed AI startups in the Pacific Northwest
Verified2023-05-09
3
Ascend VC participated in Overland AI's $32M Series A (Jan 2025)
Overland AI: Overland AI Raises $32 Million in Series A Funding to Advance Ground Autonomy for U.S. Defense Forces
Verified2025-01-13

Overview

Portfolio companies1

Partners0

Frequently asked

Tags

Sources & citations3