# First Ascent Ventures

First Ascent Ventures is a Venture Capital based in Toronto, Canada.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Venture Capital
- **Headquarters:** Toronto, Canada
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Toronto, ON, Canada
- **Founded:** 2015
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** firstascentventures.com
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/firstascentvc

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

First Ascent Ventures was founded in 2015 and invests in emerging technology companies that are building the next generation of disruptive, enterprise B2B software that leverages the cloud, big data, analytics, mobility, AI and machine learning.

## Sectors

- Enterprise Software
- AI/ML
- Cloud Computing
- Cybersecurity
- Big Data
- IoT

## People

- Tony van Marken — Managing Partner and Co-Founder
- Richard Black — Managing Partner and Co-Founder

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at First Ascent Ventures?

Tony van Marken and Richard Black co-founded the firm in 2015 and serve as its Managing Partners. Both have decades of venture investing experience at large Canadian VC firms. As the only managing partners listed publicly, they are the decision-makers on fund-level investments.

### Does First Ascent participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?

First Ascent only makes direct equity investments into operating companies. The firm takes a board seat with every investment and focuses on Series A and B rounds where it can actively shape company strategy toward exit.

### What investment stages does First Ascent typically target?

First Ascent targets early-stage, emerging, and growth-oriented companies. It explicitly states it invests from Series A and B rounds onward, seeking companies with growing monthly recurring revenue, strong product offerings, and top-tier customer references.

### Which sectors does First Ascent explicitly avoid?

First Ascent focuses narrowly on enterprise B2B software in the information technology sector. It does not publicly state sector exclusions beyond this mandate, but consumer technology, hardware, and life sciences are absent from its portfolio and stated criteria.

## Related profiles

- [First Analysis](https://altss.com/profile/first-analysis)
- [First Asia Venture Capital](https://altss.com/profile/first-asia-venture-capital)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

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