A Note from our Programs Director, Ellen Mcdevitt: When I was little, there was a painting that hung above my bed of a little girl sitting on a unicorn with rainbow wings. It read; “There are two lasting bequests we can give our children: one is roots, the other is wings.” As a parent, I think of that line often as I help my kids prepare to fly away after graduation from high school. I didn’t think I’d have reason to think about this quote as it applies to my professional life, but this week, I do. AdSkate has been a member of Ascender for six years. The CEO and founder, Akaash Ramakrishnan, is a congenial but extraordinarily focused and determined entrepreneur who today announced his company was acquired by a local Pittsburgh ad agency, Brunner. This is thrilling for multiple reasons. First - this acquisition stays local - so the intellectual capital and jobs stay here - Pittsburgh wins today! Second it involves two trailblazers in one deal; Brunner is fiercely independent and dedicated to Pittsburgh but thinks globally and AdSkate gives them a huge leg up in AI adoption for customer success. Third - this is the way we love to see things work; a company is founded in Pittsburgh, discovers a supportive and valuable community in Ascender and builds their company here in our space, connecting with dozens of founders every day, sharing knowledge and pain and victory, and is then acquired - by a local company no less! Am I going to miss seeing Akaash every day? Absolutely. Will I miss directing people to him for problem solving, advice, a well-timed reality check? More than I can convey. But this is how it’s supposed to be. Start, build, grow, exit. It’s why Ascender exists; to provide the best community and space possible for founders to do just that. Akaash told me once that Ascender is a mindset. You walk in the door knowing it’s time to get to work, but everyone around you is grinding toward something so there is a kinship and an energy you can’t find anywhere else. I wish AdSkate, Akaash, Shreyas Venugopalan (AdSkate’s co-founder and CTO), and Brunner the kind of relationship and success that I have been fortunate to witness Akaash have here with us and other founders. Akaash, you walked in the door ready to work and you never stopped. You embodied the mindset you described better than anyone. This is what Ascender is for; not just to hold space for founders, but to launch them. Go do something great over there. You know where to find us.
Fantastic news - Congratulations AdSkate!
Great news!!!! Congratulations!
Congrats Akaash Ramakrishnan !!!
Hey Akaash Ramakrishnan, congratulations!
Congratulations Akaash!!! Onwards and upwards!
Congratulations Akaash Ramakrishnan! So excited for you 🎉
Ellen Mcdevitt, this means more than I can properly put into words. AscenderPGH has been such a big part of the AdSkate journey. It was never just an office or a place to work from. It was the place where we showed up every day, figured things out, met other founders going through the same grind, and kept building even when things were uncertain. You, the Ascender team, and the community there gave us the kind of support that founders need but do not always know how to ask for. I am incredibly grateful for that. This acquisition with Brunner is a meaningful next chapter for AdSkate, Shreyas Venugopalan, Max Rosen, and me, and I am especially proud that the next phase stays rooted here in Pittsburgh. Thank you for believing in us, pushing us, and giving us a place to build. Ascender will always be a major part of the AdSkate story.