Newsletter

July Ascension Newsletter

Romha Berhane

1 Aug 2024

  • Gendo Launches GenAI Tool
  • Emma Steele, Ascension Partner, Q&A with Mountside Ventures
  • Ascension Fund III Invests in Jarvis, Revolutionising Retirement Planning
  • Podcast Recommendations
  • Portfolio News
  • Portfolio Open Roles

Gendo Launches GenAI tool 

We invested in Gendo from our Ascension S/EIS Fund in 2023. We are excited to have backed this business, a dedicated GenAI tool for architects and designers that’s tailored to their workflows. It was launched on the 3rd of July, and allows users to create professional-grade images of their projects.

Since launch, the platform has gained over 1,400 users, who have generated over 24,000 images, downloading an image for every 3 sets generated – already a huge improvement from the beta. They are now raising their seed round to get scaling as soon as possible!

Emma Steele, Ascension Partner, Q&A with Mountside Ventures

To learn more about Emma Steele’s career journey and her role at Ascension, as well as details about our impact fund, Ascension Fund III, check out this insightful interview.

A few highlights include:

  • the Fund’s thesis
  • how we assess promising investment opportunities
  • the meaning behind the term ‘Impact Dragons’

Read the article to get to learn much more

Ascension Fund III Invests in Jarvis

We’re thrilled to announce our investment in Jarvis, alongside our friends at Cornerstone VC and Tokio Marine Group Fund. Led by Royden Greaves, Jarvis is revolutionising retirement planning for the modern workforce.

The gig economy continues to grow, with over 50% of the workforce projected to be self-employed by 2028. Jarvis addresses this with a comprehensive pension plan, a user-friendly app for real-time retirement insights, and seamless employer integration for auto-enrolment pensions. Emma Steele, Ascension Partner, says, “We are thrilled to support Royden and the team as they continue to innovate and expand their offerings to cater to the retirement needs of modern employees. Jarvis is filling a crucial gap in the market and has the potential to revolutionise the pensions industry, setting a new standard for retirement planning.”

Read more here.

Royden Greaves, CEO and Founder at Jarvis below

Emma Steele, Ascension Partner, Q&A with Mountside Ventures

To learn more about Emma Steele’s career journey and her role at Ascension, as well as details about our new impact fund, Ascension Fund III, check out this insightful interview. A few highlights include:

  • the Fund’s thesis
  • the metrics we use to assess promising investment opportunities
  • the meaning behind the term ‘Impact Dragons’

Read the article to get to learn much more. 

🎤Podcast Recommendations 

There are lots of great podcasts and videos out there, here are just a few that we hope you enjoy as much as we did.

  • The most successful government intervention of all time? Emily Trant, Chief Impact Officer of Wagestream, a company we first supported from our Fair By Design Fund in 2018, discusses the substantial increase in pension savings in the UK. This improvement was driven by a small yet significant process change. Before 2012, less than 50% of UK workers were saving into a pension, but now over 80% do. Emily Trant interviews Helen Dean, previous CEO at Nest Corporation, who played a role in making this change the standard across the UK. Listen here to learn more. 
  • The AI Revolution in Quality Management, interview with Charlotte Bax founder of Captur was recently interviewed on the Matt Waller podcast. Learn more about how the retail industry is transforming rapidly, driven by AI innovations that enhance supply chain efficiency and customer experience. Captur leverages AI for real-time quality control, revolutionising the retail landscape.
  • Curious why some of our founders chose us as investors? Click here to find out more!

Portfolio News 

  • RideTandem named one of the best places to work in 2024
  • Well done to the Tembo team for being awarded the Best Comparison Site at this year’s What Mortgage Awards 
  • Sojo to collaborate with M&S to launch clothing repair service 
  • Qureight has been recognised as one of the top Series A European companies in the drug discovery space by Sifted 
  • Congratulations to Brittany Harris (QFlow) for being awarded High Growth Woman Founder of the Year by the UKBAA 
  • You can now buy Reborn products at Next
  • Switchee raises £5m from Octopus Ventures and AXA 

Open Roles in Portfolio Companies