Seattle venture firm Ascend announced its $17 million Fund III on November 11, 2026, maintaining a deliberately small vehicle for inception-stage investments in AI and deep technology. Its backers include funds of funds, family offices and founders. Founding general partner Kirby Winfield said the size was intentional: Ascend wants to know founders personally and do the early-stage work itself. “We believe pre-seed is still a craft business,” he wrote, adding that the firm looks for people its…