Transcend Network Fund
About Transcend Network Fund
Transcend Fund was founded in 2020 by game industry veterans and is based in San Francisco. Shanti Bergel and Andrew Sheppard are listed as managing directors, and Brett Krause is listed as a general partner. The firm's first fund closed in 2020 at $50 million. Its second fund, Transcend II, closed at nearly $60 million, with new limited partners added. A firm post about welevel refers to an investment made out of Transcend Fund III.
The firm says AI is now the main shift in game economics, and it backs founders who build AI into their products from pre-seed through Series A. Transcend led a $4.8 million seed round in Live Aware Labs in 2024, an AI platform that gives game developers real-time player feedback. It led an $8.5 million Series A in welevel, an AI-native studio behind the game SolidRiver. Cosmic Lounge, a seed-stage portfolio company listed in 2023, uses AI-driven tools to shorten mobile game development. Heroic Story applies AI to help storytellers build characters, plots and worlds.
The firm says it invests from pre-seed through Series A. It does not publish check sizes on its site. Third-party directories differ: openvc lists a range of $200k to $5M, and InvestGame lists a check of up to $5 million at pre-seed and seed. The $4.8 million figure for Live Aware Labs is the total round size, not the firm's own check.
- Live Aware Labs: AI platform that gives game developers real-time player feedback; Transcend led a $4.8 million seed round in 2024.
- welevel: AI-native studio behind SolidRiver; Transcend led an $8.5 million Series A (year not confirmed in the sources reviewed).
- Cosmic Lounge: mobile game studio using AI tools to shorten development time; seed round listed in 2023 with Transcend as lead.
- Ruckus Games: uses AI for complex 3D production work that usually needs large teams.
- Heroic Story: uses AI to help storytellers create characters, plots and realms.
- transcend.fund
- transcend.fund/post/transcend-ii
- transcend.fund/post/why-transcend-invested-in-welevel
- transcend.fund/post/congratulations-live-aware-labs
- transcend.fund/post/the-accelerating-transformation-of-gaming
- crunchbase.com/organization/transcend-fund
- crunchbase.com/organization/transcend-fund/financial_details
- pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/434316-25
Investing activity
Transcend Network Fund is listed on AI Lounge as a venture capital investor based in USA. The deals desk records Series A and later AI rounds and seeds over $10M, so smaller checks may not show here yet.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Transcend Network Fund
When was Transcend Fund founded?
Transcend Fund was founded in 2020 by game industry veterans, and its listing on Crunchbase gives March 2020. The firm is based in San Francisco.
How much has Transcend Fund raised across its funds?
Its first fund closed in 2020 at $50 million. Its second fund, Transcend II, closed at nearly $60 million, and a later post refers to Transcend Fund III.
Which stages does Transcend Fund invest in?
The firm says it invests from pre-seed through Series A. Its site does not publish check sizes, and third-party directories list varying ranges.
Which AI startups has Transcend Fund backed?
Transcend led a $4.8 million seed round in Live Aware Labs, an AI platform for game developers, and an $8.5 million Series A in welevel, an AI-native studio. Other AI-using portfolio companies include Cosmic Lounge and Heroic Story.
Who leads Transcend Fund's AI investing?
Shanti Bergel, Andrew Sheppard and Brett Krause are the named partners in public profiles. Sources reviewed do not say which partner leads each AI deal.
Where is Transcend Network Fund based?
Transcend Network Fund is based in USA.
How can founders reach Transcend Network Fund?
Founders on AI Lounge can see Transcend Network Fund's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with the firm under Warm Paths, and add Transcend Network Fund to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.