# Ascend

> Seattle pre-seed venture firm founded in 2019 by Kirby Winfield, focused on Pacific Northwest founders building vertical AI agents, Gen AI infrastructure, and AI applied to physical industries. Fund I deployed from a $15M vehicle (2019); Fund II closed at $25M in May 2023. Typical first checks run $250K–$750K with $500K as a common sweet spot. Ascend positions itself as the most active pre-seed investor in the region.

## Profile

- **Typical check size:** $100K-$1M (early-stage estimate)
- **Founded:** 2019
- **Headquarters:** Seattle, WA
- **AUM:** N/A
- **Rounds they lead:** Pre-Seed
- **Rounds they invest:** Pre-Seed, Seed

## Links

- [Website](https://www.ascend.vc)
- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/ascendvc)

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Source: https://venturecapitaltracker.com/fund/ascend-venture-capital