We are entrepreneurs ourselves. We have experienced both the challenges and rewards that come from starting, growing, and scaling businesses. We put that knowledge and perspective to work for the companies that choose to partner with us.
Founded in 2014 and investing as Cascade Angels Fund across five funds, we became Cascade Seed Fund in 2019 building on more than five years of early stage investing experience. Today we continue to seek out opportunities to work with amazing entrepreneurs in the Pacific Northwest and rising entrepreneurial hubs throughout the US.
Robert Pease, Managing Partner
Robert Pease is Managing Director of Cascade Seed Fund and has over 25 years of experience as a software executive, founder, and investor. He launched Cascade Seed Fund with Julie Harrelson in 2019 after being fund manager and venture partner to the five predecessor Cascade Angels Funds. He has led over 50 investments across the Cascade Funds and has been a seed stage investor since 2011.
Prior to Cascade, Pease was a founder, member of the executive team and product lead across six venture-backed startups experiencing success, failure and everything in between. He began his career as a management consultant with Accenture’s Global Communications and Technology practice based in Washington, DC. He holds a BBA in Finance from the University of Georgia and an MBA from the University of Tennessee. He resides in Bend, Oregon with his wife, two daughters and amazing dog Cameron.
Julie Harrelson, Advisory Partner
Julie Harrelson has over 30 years of experience as an investor, founder, sales executive and consultant. She is Managing Director of eight funds and an investor in 75 startups as well as a founder and executive in six early stage companies. She launched Cascade Seed Fund with Robert Pease in 2019 having founded the previous Cascade funds.
Harrelson was previously a tech executive in multiple companies variously acquired by Earthlink, Time Warner and others. Following an exit from a telecommunications startup, she worked as a trusted advisor and investor with regional entrepreneurs, Fortune 500 companies, as well as leaders of global change efforts in healthcare, education and sustainability before starting Cascade.
When not on the road on behalf of the fund, Julie can be found at the Oregon Coast.
44North Ventures LLC manages the Cascade Seed Fund under the leadership of Julie Harrelson and Robert Pease. 44North also serves as Fund Manager of Cascade Angels Fund V. The Fund Manager for the prior Cascade Angels Funds (2014-2017) was HGI under the leadership of Julie Harrelson.