Ascend Ventures

Applied Bioplastics is dedicated to reducing reliance on petroleum-based plastics by offering affordable, high-grade recycled alternatives made from sustainable plant materials sourced from developing nations. The company's bioplastic products aim to diminish petroleum dependency, lower carbon dioxide emissions, and mitigate habitat destruction. By combining plant fibers with recycled or biobased polymers, Applied Bioplastics creates materials that can be easily molded or extruded for use in various industries, including household goods, automotive, appliances, electronics, and outdoor equipment. This approach not only addresses the economic barriers that prevent companies from adopting recycled plastics but also allows them to utilize carbon-negative plant materials as substitutes for traditional petrochemical feedstock without compromising quality or profit margins.

REFASHIOND OS is an operating system that is designed to manage and connect the fashion value chains from fibers to finished goods. The company was founded in 2019 by Lisa Morales-Hellebo. REFASHIOND OS is headquartered in New York, New York.

Applied Bioplastics is dedicated to reducing reliance on petroleum-based plastics by offering affordable, high-grade recycled alternatives made from sustainable plant materials sourced from developing nations. The company's bioplastic products aim to diminish petroleum dependency, lower carbon dioxide emissions, and mitigate habitat destruction. By combining plant fibers with recycled or biobased polymers, Applied Bioplastics creates materials that can be easily molded or extruded for use in various industries, including household goods, automotive, appliances, electronics, and outdoor equipment. This approach not only addresses the economic barriers that prevent companies from adopting recycled plastics but also allows them to utilize carbon-negative plant materials as substitutes for traditional petrochemical feedstock without compromising quality or profit margins.

Boat Planet, Inc. operates a web platform that connects boat owners with reputable marine professionals. Founded in 2018 and based in Saint Louis, Missouri, the platform allows users to search for, compare, and book services from a network of trusted service providers. By facilitating this connection, Boat Planet enables marine businesses to display their offerings while helping boat owners find the necessary resources to enhance their boating experience. The platform aims to foster a community where both boaters and professionals can collaborate and share valuable insights, ultimately promoting enjoyment and safety on the water.

Applied Bioplastics is dedicated to reducing reliance on petroleum-based plastics by offering affordable, high-grade recycled alternatives made from sustainable plant materials sourced from developing nations. The company's bioplastic products aim to diminish petroleum dependency, lower carbon dioxide emissions, and mitigate habitat destruction. By combining plant fibers with recycled or biobased polymers, Applied Bioplastics creates materials that can be easily molded or extruded for use in various industries, including household goods, automotive, appliances, electronics, and outdoor equipment. This approach not only addresses the economic barriers that prevent companies from adopting recycled plastics but also allows them to utilize carbon-negative plant materials as substitutes for traditional petrochemical feedstock without compromising quality or profit margins.

Sojourn is a developer specializing in computer vision software and supply chain solutions, focusing on enhancing drone navigation and last-meter delivery processes. The company's innovative technology bridges the gap between human intent and precise delivery locations, ensuring accurate placement of goods delivered by both human and robotic couriers. This advanced software improves delivery accuracy and addresses issues related to misdeliveries and lost packages, allowing customers to verify their delivery preferences effectively. By providing complete control over delivery points, Sojourn aims to streamline the logistics of last-mile delivery in various settings, both inside and outside of homes.

Arbol is developing a climate risk assessment and insurance platform aimed at helping businesses analyze and mitigate financial losses from extreme weather events. It operates an insurance marketplace that connects weather-exposed agricultural entities with capital providers, such as insurers and asset managers. By leveraging objective data from satellites, weather stations, and advanced technologies like big data, artificial intelligence, and blockchain, Arbol's parametric insurance platform enhances transparency and efficiency in managing climate risks. The platform offers automated pricing and instant payouts triggered by objective data, reducing administrative costs and information asymmetry, thereby enabling businesses across various industries to effectively address their climate-related financial challenges.

StoryFit Inc. is a technology company based in Austin, Texas, that specializes in providing artificial intelligence insights and machine learning solutions for the book publishing, movie, and television production industries. Founded in 2014, StoryFit offers products such as StoryFit Metadata and StoryFit Analytics, which allow publishers and studios to analyze metadata and gain insights into audience targeting, reader personas, and writing evaluation. The company aims to empower creative decision-makers by delivering actionable data analytics that simulate audience responses to content and provide suggestions for development, marketing, and merchandising. By understanding how stories fit within the broader landscape, StoryFit supports its clients in producing engaging and memorable narratives.

Kroo provides telecommunications services. They increase profits by taking advantage of existing wireless infrastructure.

OXIO is a telecom-as-a-service platform that provides brands and enterprises with a cloud-based solution to unbundle mobile telecom infrastructure. By leveraging a connectivity trading exchange and a proprietary multi-network smart client, OXIO enables clients to mix and match various wireless networks, facilitating the creation of customized, asset-light networks delivered in a matter of days. This innovative approach allows brands to gain unprecedented control over their wireless experience and access actionable data that was previously confined to telecom silos. Headquartered in New York, with additional offices in Mexico City and Montreal, OXIO aims to enhance customer engagement by delivering a differentiated wireless experience tailored to the needs of each brand.

Sojourn is a developer specializing in computer vision software and supply chain solutions, focusing on enhancing drone navigation and last-meter delivery processes. The company's innovative technology bridges the gap between human intent and precise delivery locations, ensuring accurate placement of goods delivered by both human and robotic couriers. This advanced software improves delivery accuracy and addresses issues related to misdeliveries and lost packages, allowing customers to verify their delivery preferences effectively. By providing complete control over delivery points, Sojourn aims to streamline the logistics of last-mile delivery in various settings, both inside and outside of homes.

Journey Foods is a technology company that offers a machine learning-powered software platform tailored for the packaged food industry. It specializes in enhancing product monitoring and development for consumer packaged goods companies, ingredient suppliers, and manufacturers. The platform focuses on optimizing innovation, decision-making, and operational efficiency by providing insights into nutrition and supply chain dynamics. Journey Foods' software allows food companies to transform ideas into commercial products by configuring consumer preferences, generating improved product formulations, and offering automated compliance checks and sustainability metrics. With a robust database that includes over 1 billion ingredient insights, the platform utilizes advanced algorithms to deliver optimized portfolio recommendations based on pricing, supply chain, and nutritional considerations. By streamlining these processes, Journey Foods empowers management teams to make strategic decisions more swiftly, thereby facilitating greater efficiency in the $3 trillion packaged foods market.

Utopia Labs specializes in creating an operating system tailored for decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) to streamline payment requests, payroll, and reporting processes. The platform enables users to manage invoices and expenses for contributors through a single link, facilitating the automation of recurring salaries for core team members. Additionally, Utopia Labs provides a payment application that allows for free, instant, and global transactions, simplifying the management of contributor payments and expenses. With features that organize transactions through tagging, the system enhances transparency in financial reporting for DAOs.

The future of agriculture is transparent. We envision a thriving agricultural system where Producers earn a living income, which empowers resilient communities and ecosystems. Buyers can connect directly with producers, bridging the gap between source and consumer. Consumers know producers' stories, and make informed choices about purchases. We give consumers full transparency into the agricultural value chain by working closely with our producer members to tell their story and that of their products, utilizing blockchain traceability and high quality digital media.

Journey Foods is a technology company that offers a machine learning-powered software platform tailored for the packaged food industry. It specializes in enhancing product monitoring and development for consumer packaged goods companies, ingredient suppliers, and manufacturers. The platform focuses on optimizing innovation, decision-making, and operational efficiency by providing insights into nutrition and supply chain dynamics. Journey Foods' software allows food companies to transform ideas into commercial products by configuring consumer preferences, generating improved product formulations, and offering automated compliance checks and sustainability metrics. With a robust database that includes over 1 billion ingredient insights, the platform utilizes advanced algorithms to deliver optimized portfolio recommendations based on pricing, supply chain, and nutritional considerations. By streamlining these processes, Journey Foods empowers management teams to make strategic decisions more swiftly, thereby facilitating greater efficiency in the $3 trillion packaged foods market.

LO3 Energy, Inc. is a Portland, Oregon-based company that operates Pando, a marketplace solution designed to connect energy suppliers with customers. Founded in 2012, LO3 Energy focuses on developing technology and tools to support the growth of decentralized energy models, particularly through the use of its proprietary blockchain. The company's services enable retail clients in the utility and energy sectors to create, deploy, and monetize innovative energy products and customer services. By facilitating the formation of community microgrids, LO3 Energy aims to enhance the competitiveness and accessibility of the emerging distributed energy economy.

The future of agriculture is transparent. We envision a thriving agricultural system where Producers earn a living income, which empowers resilient communities and ecosystems. Buyers can connect directly with producers, bridging the gap between source and consumer. Consumers know producers' stories, and make informed choices about purchases. We give consumers full transparency into the agricultural value chain by working closely with our producer members to tell their story and that of their products, utilizing blockchain traceability and high quality digital media.

Sojourn is a developer specializing in computer vision software and supply chain solutions, focusing on enhancing drone navigation and last-meter delivery processes. The company's innovative technology bridges the gap between human intent and precise delivery locations, ensuring accurate placement of goods delivered by both human and robotic couriers. This advanced software improves delivery accuracy and addresses issues related to misdeliveries and lost packages, allowing customers to verify their delivery preferences effectively. By providing complete control over delivery points, Sojourn aims to streamline the logistics of last-mile delivery in various settings, both inside and outside of homes.

Arbol is developing a climate risk assessment and insurance platform aimed at helping businesses analyze and mitigate financial losses from extreme weather events. It operates an insurance marketplace that connects weather-exposed agricultural entities with capital providers, such as insurers and asset managers. By leveraging objective data from satellites, weather stations, and advanced technologies like big data, artificial intelligence, and blockchain, Arbol's parametric insurance platform enhances transparency and efficiency in managing climate risks. The platform offers automated pricing and instant payouts triggered by objective data, reducing administrative costs and information asymmetry, thereby enabling businesses across various industries to effectively address their climate-related financial challenges.

Sojourn is a developer specializing in computer vision software and supply chain solutions, focusing on enhancing drone navigation and last-meter delivery processes. The company's innovative technology bridges the gap between human intent and precise delivery locations, ensuring accurate placement of goods delivered by both human and robotic couriers. This advanced software improves delivery accuracy and addresses issues related to misdeliveries and lost packages, allowing customers to verify their delivery preferences effectively. By providing complete control over delivery points, Sojourn aims to streamline the logistics of last-mile delivery in various settings, both inside and outside of homes.

Arbol is developing a climate risk assessment and insurance platform aimed at helping businesses analyze and mitigate financial losses from extreme weather events. It operates an insurance marketplace that connects weather-exposed agricultural entities with capital providers, such as insurers and asset managers. By leveraging objective data from satellites, weather stations, and advanced technologies like big data, artificial intelligence, and blockchain, Arbol's parametric insurance platform enhances transparency and efficiency in managing climate risks. The platform offers automated pricing and instant payouts triggered by objective data, reducing administrative costs and information asymmetry, thereby enabling businesses across various industries to effectively address their climate-related financial challenges.

Journey Foods is a technology company that offers a machine learning-powered software platform tailored for the packaged food industry. It specializes in enhancing product monitoring and development for consumer packaged goods companies, ingredient suppliers, and manufacturers. The platform focuses on optimizing innovation, decision-making, and operational efficiency by providing insights into nutrition and supply chain dynamics. Journey Foods' software allows food companies to transform ideas into commercial products by configuring consumer preferences, generating improved product formulations, and offering automated compliance checks and sustainability metrics. With a robust database that includes over 1 billion ingredient insights, the platform utilizes advanced algorithms to deliver optimized portfolio recommendations based on pricing, supply chain, and nutritional considerations. By streamlining these processes, Journey Foods empowers management teams to make strategic decisions more swiftly, thereby facilitating greater efficiency in the $3 trillion packaged foods market.

FreightWaves is a data and content forum that provides market participants with near-time analytics on the state of the freight market. The company offers current digital intelligence and context to the freight community on a central platform. The company's​ SaaS product, SONAR, is a freight market analytics tool and dashboard, aggregating billions of data points from hundreds of sources to provide the fastest data in the transportation and logistics sector. The platform is mode agnostic and has time-series and geo-based data from all modes of freight, including truck, rail, ocean, air, and warehouse. FreightWaves was founded to provide transparency and risk-management products to the freight markets. As a provider of aggregated data-sets across the North American freight markets, FreightWaves' SaaS platform helps companies take action based on the signals in the market.

MetaSoul, based in New York and established in 2017, specializes in advanced emotion synthesis technology for artificial intelligence applications. The company focuses on creating emotional awareness in AI, enabling machines to generate and understand a range of emotional states through multimodal stimuli. MetaSoul's flagship product, the Emotional Processing Unit (EPU), allows AI systems to respond to user interactions with emotional intelligence, enhancing applications in diverse fields such as gaming, healthcare, and the metaverse. The technology is capable of controlling both vocal expressions and facial micro-expressions in digital entities, providing a more lifelike interaction experience. MetaSoul holds foundational patents for its innovative approach to emotion synthesis, which not only detects but also shapes emotional responses in machines. By utilizing reinforcement learning and a unique Emotion Profile Graph, the technology allows for the development of distinct emotional personalities in AI, creating a personalized user experience. As generative AI continues to evolve, MetaSoul positions itself as a leader in integrating emotional intelligence into digital interactions, paving the way for more meaningful engagements between humans and machines.

Arbol is developing a climate risk assessment and insurance platform aimed at helping businesses analyze and mitigate financial losses from extreme weather events. It operates an insurance marketplace that connects weather-exposed agricultural entities with capital providers, such as insurers and asset managers. By leveraging objective data from satellites, weather stations, and advanced technologies like big data, artificial intelligence, and blockchain, Arbol's parametric insurance platform enhances transparency and efficiency in managing climate risks. The platform offers automated pricing and instant payouts triggered by objective data, reducing administrative costs and information asymmetry, thereby enabling businesses across various industries to effectively address their climate-related financial challenges.

OXIO is a telecom-as-a-service platform that provides brands and enterprises with a cloud-based solution to unbundle mobile telecom infrastructure. By leveraging a connectivity trading exchange and a proprietary multi-network smart client, OXIO enables clients to mix and match various wireless networks, facilitating the creation of customized, asset-light networks delivered in a matter of days. This innovative approach allows brands to gain unprecedented control over their wireless experience and access actionable data that was previously confined to telecom silos. Headquartered in New York, with additional offices in Mexico City and Montreal, OXIO aims to enhance customer engagement by delivering a differentiated wireless experience tailored to the needs of each brand.

Infinite io, Inc. is a technology company based in Austin, Texas, that specializes in innovative data storage solutions. Established in 2012, the company offers the NSC-110, a network-based storage controller that facilitates the management of data storage costs for data center managers. Its software enables the automatic migration of inactive data to cloud storage while ensuring that frequently accessed data remains onsite. This approach not only streamlines storage management but also transforms traditional file storage applications into cloud-enabled systems, allowing users to efficiently access their data in the cloud. Through its disruptive technology, Infinite io addresses the growing challenges associated with data storage in today's digital environment.

LO3 Energy, Inc. is a Portland, Oregon-based company that operates Pando, a marketplace solution designed to connect energy suppliers with customers. Founded in 2012, LO3 Energy focuses on developing technology and tools to support the growth of decentralized energy models, particularly through the use of its proprietary blockchain. The company's services enable retail clients in the utility and energy sectors to create, deploy, and monetize innovative energy products and customer services. By facilitating the formation of community microgrids, LO3 Energy aims to enhance the competitiveness and accessibility of the emerging distributed energy economy.

MetaSoul, based in New York and established in 2017, specializes in advanced emotion synthesis technology for artificial intelligence applications. The company focuses on creating emotional awareness in AI, enabling machines to generate and understand a range of emotional states through multimodal stimuli. MetaSoul's flagship product, the Emotional Processing Unit (EPU), allows AI systems to respond to user interactions with emotional intelligence, enhancing applications in diverse fields such as gaming, healthcare, and the metaverse. The technology is capable of controlling both vocal expressions and facial micro-expressions in digital entities, providing a more lifelike interaction experience. MetaSoul holds foundational patents for its innovative approach to emotion synthesis, which not only detects but also shapes emotional responses in machines. By utilizing reinforcement learning and a unique Emotion Profile Graph, the technology allows for the development of distinct emotional personalities in AI, creating a personalized user experience. As generative AI continues to evolve, MetaSoul positions itself as a leader in integrating emotional intelligence into digital interactions, paving the way for more meaningful engagements between humans and machines.

Insurdata provides insurance and reinsurance underwriters property-specific data to support their pricing, underwriting and portfolio management decisions. The firm specializes in high-resolution, peril-specific exposures and building-level risk data, using technology that includes mobile augmented reality and 3-D model creation, providing both desktop and mobile products.

StoryFit Inc. is a technology company based in Austin, Texas, that specializes in providing artificial intelligence insights and machine learning solutions for the book publishing, movie, and television production industries. Founded in 2014, StoryFit offers products such as StoryFit Metadata and StoryFit Analytics, which allow publishers and studios to analyze metadata and gain insights into audience targeting, reader personas, and writing evaluation. The company aims to empower creative decision-makers by delivering actionable data analytics that simulate audience responses to content and provide suggestions for development, marketing, and merchandising. By understanding how stories fit within the broader landscape, StoryFit supports its clients in producing engaging and memorable narratives.

MetaSoul, based in New York and established in 2017, specializes in advanced emotion synthesis technology for artificial intelligence applications. The company focuses on creating emotional awareness in AI, enabling machines to generate and understand a range of emotional states through multimodal stimuli. MetaSoul's flagship product, the Emotional Processing Unit (EPU), allows AI systems to respond to user interactions with emotional intelligence, enhancing applications in diverse fields such as gaming, healthcare, and the metaverse. The technology is capable of controlling both vocal expressions and facial micro-expressions in digital entities, providing a more lifelike interaction experience. MetaSoul holds foundational patents for its innovative approach to emotion synthesis, which not only detects but also shapes emotional responses in machines. By utilizing reinforcement learning and a unique Emotion Profile Graph, the technology allows for the development of distinct emotional personalities in AI, creating a personalized user experience. As generative AI continues to evolve, MetaSoul positions itself as a leader in integrating emotional intelligence into digital interactions, paving the way for more meaningful engagements between humans and machines.

MetaSoul, based in New York and established in 2017, specializes in advanced emotion synthesis technology for artificial intelligence applications. The company focuses on creating emotional awareness in AI, enabling machines to generate and understand a range of emotional states through multimodal stimuli. MetaSoul's flagship product, the Emotional Processing Unit (EPU), allows AI systems to respond to user interactions with emotional intelligence, enhancing applications in diverse fields such as gaming, healthcare, and the metaverse. The technology is capable of controlling both vocal expressions and facial micro-expressions in digital entities, providing a more lifelike interaction experience. MetaSoul holds foundational patents for its innovative approach to emotion synthesis, which not only detects but also shapes emotional responses in machines. By utilizing reinforcement learning and a unique Emotion Profile Graph, the technology allows for the development of distinct emotional personalities in AI, creating a personalized user experience. As generative AI continues to evolve, MetaSoul positions itself as a leader in integrating emotional intelligence into digital interactions, paving the way for more meaningful engagements between humans and machines.

FreightWaves is a data and content forum that provides market participants with near-time analytics on the state of the freight market. The company offers current digital intelligence and context to the freight community on a central platform. The company's​ SaaS product, SONAR, is a freight market analytics tool and dashboard, aggregating billions of data points from hundreds of sources to provide the fastest data in the transportation and logistics sector. The platform is mode agnostic and has time-series and geo-based data from all modes of freight, including truck, rail, ocean, air, and warehouse. FreightWaves was founded to provide transparency and risk-management products to the freight markets. As a provider of aggregated data-sets across the North American freight markets, FreightWaves' SaaS platform helps companies take action based on the signals in the market.

Lumate, LLC is a technology company that specializes in mobile advertising, providing a context-driven platform that enhances audience targeting for advertisers. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri, Lumate offers a suite of products designed to optimize the mobile advertising experience. Key offerings include AdTrade, a bidding engine that analyzes data to improve contextual relevance, AdMotive, a self-service portal that allows advertisers to customize their reach, and DataWell, an API and SDK aimed at publishers and data providers for monetizing audience data. By integrating geo-location and real-time bidding technologies, Lumate addresses gaps in the mobile advertising supply chain, enabling advertisers and ad networks to effectively connect with their desired audiences.

Infinite io, Inc. is a technology company based in Austin, Texas, that specializes in innovative data storage solutions. Established in 2012, the company offers the NSC-110, a network-based storage controller that facilitates the management of data storage costs for data center managers. Its software enables the automatic migration of inactive data to cloud storage while ensuring that frequently accessed data remains onsite. This approach not only streamlines storage management but also transforms traditional file storage applications into cloud-enabled systems, allowing users to efficiently access their data in the cloud. Through its disruptive technology, Infinite io addresses the growing challenges associated with data storage in today's digital environment.