TLDR:
- Jen Haller named partner at Ascend, a pre-seed venture capital firm in Seattle, after serving as chief of staff.
- Other key personnel changes include Doug Aspland as the new chief revenue officer at Syndio, Amanda Kleha joining the board of Common Room, Brad Booth becoming CEO at NLM Photonics, and Dr. Charles Murry leaving the University of Washington to lead stem-cell research at USC.
Startup veteran Jen Haller has been appointed partner at Ascend, a Seattle-based pre-seed venture capital firm, after previously serving as chief of staff. Haller’s new role will involve providing operational guidance to founders, managing internal operations, and fostering community engagement. Ascend has over 80 portfolio companies, with close to 60 based in the Seattle region. In other key personnel changes in the Pacific Northwest tech industry:
Doug Aspland has been named the new chief revenue officer at Syndio, a Seattle workplace equity analytics startup. Aspland brings experience from Calm Business, Udemy, Box, Workday, and Salesforce.
Amanda Kleha has joined the board of Common Room, a Seattle startup focused on bridging the gap between companies and their communities. Kleha’s background includes roles at Google, Zendesk, Airtable, and Figma.
Brad Booth has been appointed as the CEO of Seattle-based NLM Photonics, a company specializing in hybrid electro-optic modulation. He takes over from co-founder Gerard Zytnicki and will also serve as board chairperson.
Dr. Charles Murry, the director of the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, is departing to lead stem-cell research at USC. Murry, along with Dr. Tony Blau and Randy Moon, founded ISCRM in 2006, focusing on stem cell-based therapies for various conditions.
