Tribe Launch in London

Tribe is launching its new marketplace for local, in-person community events in London.

Tribe allows communities to manage, monetise and grow whilst making it easy for users to discover and book local events.

Find out more about Tribe here.  

Ascension’s EIS Fund is Open for Investment 

We target high potential technology companies at the pre-Series A stage, what we call the “late seed” phase. Positioned to bridge the equity gap between early SEIS rounds and larger institutional Series A funding, our EIS fund supports startups as they scale and prepare for their next stage of growth. Click here to learn more. 

Valla raised $2.7m Seed Round 

Congratulations to Danae and the Valla team on raising a $2.7m round led by our friends at Ada Ventures. This funding will help expand access to legal recourse for employees and accelerate the development of AI-powered features. Read more here.  

Prince William Highlights MiAlgae in Landmark Ocean Speech

Prince William spotlights Douglas Martin, Founder and CEO of MiAlgae, praising the company’s impact with a powerful statement: “MiAlgae isn’t just alternative nutrition, it’s climate technology, it’s ocean conservation, and it’s sustainable food systems at scale.” (MiAlgae is mentioned at 4 minutes 40 seconds)

Ascension Syndicate Event

A big thank you to everyone who joined us at our Syndicate event earlier this month, hosted by CMS. We were proud to showcase five exciting companies at the forefront of their sectors:

• Sequinova: biodegradable, plant-based sequins for sustainable fashion
• NunaBio: faster, cheaper enzymatic synthesis of complex DNA
• Heatio: enables low-carbon home tech adoption and energy trading
• Panakeia: AI-driven cancer diagnostics from cell images
• Voxmind: AI voice biometrics for fraud-proof identity verification

Thank you again to our presenters, hosts, and attendees for making it a memorable evening.

Toyosi at the FoundersX x Reverse Investor Pitching Event

Toyosi, Ascension Principal, took part in a reverse pitching event for underrepresented founders. Unlike traditional formats, this event placed investors in the spotlight, giving them the opportunity to pitch their funds to a room full of founders. Toyosi shared insights on the sectors Ascension focuses on and what the team looks for when backing early-stage startups.

🎤 Toyosi was recently featured on the Barclays Eagle Labs podcast, where he shared his perspective on the current investment landscape and what it takes for founders to thrive in today’s competitive market.

More Portfolio News

• Sprive featured in The Mirror for helping a couple save up to 10 years on their mortgage using the app at Tesco and Morrisons
• Emergent Energy wins the Ashden Award for Breaking Barriers (UK)
• Amilis is hiring a head of Engineering and Product Design
• Better Nature named a finalist at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards; they are also hiring a Head of Marketing