ARTIS Ventures

Ascension is a London-based early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2015 by exited operators and entrepreneurs, built on the premise that the best investors in startup companies are people who have built and sold technology businesses themselves. The firm invests through both SEIS and EIS tax-efficient funds alongside an institutional vehicle, making it one of the few UK seed VCs operating across multiple investor structures simultaneously. Ascension manages more than £83 million across its vehicles and has invested in more than 150 technology and impact startups since its founding, with twelve exits to date. Beauhurst, the UK startup data platform, ranked Ascension as the most active VC investor in London over the past decade, and the UK Business Angels Association named it Seed VC of the Year in 2022. The firm explicitly seeks companies where the founders have not relied on existing networks to access capital, operating a community of scouts and sector connectors to surface opportunities outside the London-centric deal flow that dominates early-stage UK venture. Investment themes span deeptech, consumer, enterprise software, healthtech, and impact, with a particular focus on companies where commercial ambition and positive societal outcomes reinforce each other. Note: the original directory lists Wild, Elvie, what3words, and Gravity Sketch as portfolio companies. Wild (sustainable personal care) and Gravity Sketch (3D design) appear in Ascension's portfolio based on public records, while Elvie is primarily associated with Octopus Ventures and what3words is primarily backed by Intel Capital and HERE Technologies. The portfolio has been reproduced as listed in the source data.