Nate Bek is an Associate at Ascend, previously a startups reporter at GeekWire. He was CEO of Lucy's Lab Creamery and graduated from UH Manoa.

What Nate can write

Writes checks of$250K to $1M
Comes in atPre-seedCan lead the round
Best routeA short note on LinkedInA warm intro from a founder they backed works better.

Ascend writes $250K to $1M checks, larger than 33% of firms in the atlas.

Bars: how many firms report each check band. Highlighted: Ascend.

Career

  1. Lucy's Lab Creamery · CEO
  2. GeekWire · startups reporter
  3. Ascend · Associate
    Now
  4. GeekWire · startup and venture capital reporter
  5. Ascend · principal
    Now

Investments named in public bios

NeuramillEndurance Energy

Focus

pre-seedenterprise ai

Education

UH Manoa

Before you pitch

Ascend does not invest inB2C

Also at Ascend

Partners like Nate

At firms with a similar stage, sector and check size.

Alert me when Ascend is active

One email when Nate's firm raises a fund, adds a partner or shows new activity.

Founders and investors at a Mode VC gathering

Send Mode VC your deck

Raising a pre-seed or seed round? We write $1M to $5M first checks and help founders with distribution. A partner reads every deck.

Send your deck

Questions

Who is Nate Bek?

Nate Bek is an Associate at Ascend, previously a startups reporter at GeekWire. He was CEO of Lucy's Lab Creamery and graduated from UH Manoa.

How much does Nate Bek invest?

Nate Bek invests through Ascend, which writes checks of $250K to $1M at pre-seed.

How do I pitch Nate Bek?

A warm intro from a founder Ascend backed works best. A short LinkedIn note with one line on traction is the next best route.

What did Nate Bek do before Ascend?

CEO at Lucy's Lab Creamery; startups reporter at GeekWire; startup and venture capital reporter at GeekWire.

Last updated 2026-10-15. Is this you? Ask for a correction.