Ascension

Does earning a salary of £60k make you feel like a high earner? It might not, but if you’re being paid £60k+ you’re in the top 25% of all earners. Just a few thousand more puts you in the top 10%. Can our elected MPs, in the top 5% of all earners, truly understand what their constituents need? In the latest Invisible Worker podcast we're talking about the behavioural science of money. We also talk about: The Ikea effect. Being velocitized. Mental accounting. Why £1 is not the same as £1. How to choose what to eat for lunch. Plus, the story of the government’s ‘nudge unit’, some novel research on the behavioural science of money, and a fascinating conversation with Owain Service where we explore the many ways that we make decisions about money and how to fill the ‘empathy gap’ so that decisions we make on behalf of others are truly reflective of their wants and needs. Hop on board for the last episode of Invisible Worker for 2024! 🎙️ Spotify - https://hubs.la/Q02_LN2G0 🎙️ Apple - https://hubs.la/Q02_LZ7D0 🎥 Financial Wellbeing Forum - https://hubs.la/Q02_LS2c0

And that’s a wrap! What an amazing year 2024 has been for Ascension and our portco’s, we wanted to share some of our favourite parts: 💸 We managed to have a first close at $20m for our Fund III, backing tech transforming the mass market economy 💰 We invested £6.4m and welcomed 15 exciting new early-stage startups to the portfolio, including 5 from the new Fund III (Heatio, Juniver, Jarvis, Happl & 1 stealth 😉 ) 🌟 Across our 150+ portfolio, our founders smashed it, being featured in awards such as Tembo's in Sifted’s Top 20 Fintechs, RideTandem | B Corp™ in Top 100 Start Ups to Watch and Compare Ethics winning SaaStock in Dublin 📈 The portfolio also managed some epic raises, including MiAlgae: closed a £14m round led by SWEN Capital Partners Tembo: secured £14m in Series B funding from Goodwater  Goodstack: announced a £20m Series A led by General Catalyst  Turneo: raised a €2m Seed round led by Bessemer Venture Partners 💪 Iulia Tudor was promoted to Partner, Keir Wright-Whyte to Finance Director and Romha Berhane to Portfolio Manager 💙 We had 2 new additions to the team, hiring Bill Bousfield & Ben Fletcher to scale our biz dev 🥂 We organised some killer events, hosting over 1,000 LPs, HNWs, ecosystem friends and founders Thanks to everyone who we’ve worked with this year and here is to another year of founders, funding and fun…

Amazing to see Iulia Tudor, Partner at Ascension Fund III, recognised by the Business Insider as one of the trailblazing women in VC who made Partner in 2024! 🎉 Ascension Fund III (£50M target) is on a mission to back seed-stage, tech-enabled innovations that transform lives in Fintech, Energy, and Health. Iulia’s passion and commitment to driving impact and scaling Ascension’s portfolio have been nothing short of game-changing. Congratulations, Iulia—this recognition is so well deserved, and we can’t wait to see what’s next! 🚀

🚀 Exciting Partnership Announcement 🧠✨   We’re excited to announce our strategic partnership with Neuroelectrics, a leader in high-quality EEG technology. Together, we’re bringing a game-changing integrated EEG solution to clinical trials, merging Neuroelectrics’ state-of-the-art EEG systems with our BioEP-powered advanced analytics.   This collaboration is set to revolutionize neurological research by: 🔍 Enhancing participant selection with targeted cohort identification. 📊 Delivering robust digital biomarkers for actionable insights. ⏱️ Optimizing trial design to reduce costs and timelines.   📄 Read the full press release for all the details. Exciting times are ahead!

Yesterday we had the privilege of hosting an incredible event focused on a pressing question: Does AI fail or scale impact? Special thanks to Dawn Capital for hosting us at their offices. The evening kicked off with a fireside chat featuring Emma Steele, Partner at Ascension, and Alison Fort, CEO of the Katapult Foundation and Impact Partner at Katapult VC. Alison shared invaluable insights from her decade-long journey in impact investing, emphasising a critical point: : AI governance is essential at both the founder and investor levels—but it must be approached in a practical, actionable manner. The evening continued with introductions from the following Ascension Fund III portfolio companies: 🔹Juniver – empowering recovery from eating disorders with an AI-driven support tool 🔹Happl – personalising employee benefits to make them meaningful for individuals 🔹Heatio - lowering the cost barrier of home decarbonisation  🔹Jarvis – simplifying pensions to make them accessible and user-friendly To everyone who joined us, thank you! You can find out more about Ascension Fund III here - https://lnkd.in/ebmGKQTA #AI #ImpactInvesting #EthicalAI #StartupInnovation cc/ Jean de Fougerolles Iulia Tudor Freya Wordsworth Emma Steele

Exciting news from Gendo!  They have just closed a €5.1 million seed round to revolutionise architectural visualisation. Their AI platform empowers architects to transform 2D sketches or prompts into detailed, lifelike visuals—in seconds. Since July, Gendo has attracted 2,500 global users, generating over 50,000 images. This round, co-led by PT1 and LEA Partners, will enable Gendo to scale rapidly and bring its innovative tools to even more designers worldwide.

Dream team heading to Slush next week! Drop us a message if you want to meet up 🍻 Iulia Tudor Ascension

Seen the headlines 📰 recently and are now motivated to tackle the issue of flooding? Join us! We're hiring for 2x mission-driven team members to help us take our flood busting sensors and software to new heights 📈. For more information about our Operations Associate & Full-stack Engineer roles, please visit: https://lnkd.in/dBGFPNDt Ascension Imperial Enterprise Lab Cranfield Water Cranfield University Green Future Investments Ltd British Design Fund Innovate UK Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Hub The Mayor's Fund for London Mayor's Entrepreneur

🚀 Big News: R.grid raises $6.5M to make clinical trials admin-free! 🚀 We’re thrilled to back this AI-powered healthtech startup through our Knowledge Intensive EIS Fund—our second investment since 2020. Here’s why this matters: Clinical trials are a huge bottleneck in drug development, plagued by outdated software and manual admin work. These inefficiencies can cost up to $400M per year on just back-office tasks alone. R.Grid is here to change that. With its new $6.5M seed funding, R.Grid plans to: Accelerate its mission to transform trial management with its flagship products, Inclusive and TrialEngine—creating a seamless, end-to-end platform for clinical trials. The company will also invest in further R&D, expand its engineering team and grow into US and Asian markets. This round was led by Fuel Ventures 🚀, with support from Ascension, Arve Capital, Morgan Stanley, Ada Ventures, Arāya Ventures, Plug and Play Tech Center, Atomico Angels, and others. 🎙️ In the words of Toyosi Ogedengbe, Ascension Principal: “Amber's unique founder-market fit and the potential to transform clinical trials were game-changers for us. The speed and efficiency R.Grid brings could impact lives across the globe.” Read more here - https://lnkd.in/gs9NCHpX

🚀 Exciting Times Ahead: Fin - sustainable logistics is ready for peak season!🚀 We are proud to support innovative companies that drive sustainable growth and transform industries. Our portfolio company, Fin - sustainable logistics is geared up for the busiest shopping periods of the year - Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and of course Christmas! 🎉📦 🌿 Why Fin is Poised for Success This Peak Season: Zero-Emission Fleet: ➡️ E-Cargo Bikes & Electric Vans: Fin’s commitment to sustainability shines through their use of e-cargo bikes for the final mile and electric vans for the middle mile, ensuring deliveries are both efficient and environmentally friendly. They now have 103 e-cargo bikes. ➡️ Reducing Urban Congestion: By minimising the number of vehicles on the road, Fin helps alleviate traffic congestion, ensuring faster and smoother deliveries during peak times. Advanced AI-Powered Logistics: ➡️ Real-Time Route Optimisation: Fin leverages their proprietary AI platform to dynamically plan and adjust delivery routes, maximising efficiency and minimising delays even under high demand. ➡️ Scalable Solutions: Whether handling a surge in order volumes or expanding to new regions, Fin’s technology ensures seamless scalability without compromising on service quality. Want to learn more about fin? Email hello@finmile.co Conduit Connect #FinLogistics #PeakSeasonReady #BlackFriday #CyberMonday #ZeroEmissions #AIpowered #LocalJobs #EcoFriendlyDelivery