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The Affinity Blog

The same conviction, a new Affinity

Affinity is launching Ascend, an agent platform for private capital, and stepping into a new identity as the AI-first private capital CRM. A note from our CEO.

Becoming fluent in AI was never the job

You came into private capital to close deals, not to learn a dozen AI tools. Affinity Ascend takes the busywork off the deal, so the work can be all that's left.

Introducing Affinity Ascend

Affinity Ascend is the agent platform for private capital. Three agents are live on launch—Meeting Prep, Warm Intros, and Data Update. Here's what ships and how to use it.

Your AI doesn't know your firm. Connect it to the tools that do.

Four AI workflows across the deal lifecycle—Grata, Crunchbase, AlphaSense, and Lumonic—each connected to Affinity so your model reaches your pipeline, relationships, and data.

How do you use AI for due diligence? An AlphaSense workflow, from a blank prompt to a data-room red-flag list.

Get a sourced market read, deal comps, channel checks, and a data-room red-flag scan in hours, with every claim traceable to the source it came from.

Artificial intelligence

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Becoming fluent in AI was never the job

Introducing Affinity Ascend

Your AI doesn't know your firm. Connect it to the tools that do.

Private equity

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The concentration principle: how PE investors actually create value

Not all EBITDA is equal: Gary Crittenden on the return-on-capital lens that picks winners

The PE log jam: why over-marked assets can't trade, and what actually clears the market

Venture Capital

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Best practices for successfully navigating the VC fundraising process

Who are the top venture capital firms investing in AI in 2026?

Unlocking the power of AI in venture capital: Efficiency, insights, and growth

Recently published

Building an AI-native deal workflow

How private capital ops leaders build AI infrastructure that connects to deal data. Bessemer, BlackRock, and the architecture behind the 17x edge.

Limited Partners (LP) vs. General Partners (GP) in private equity & how they're connected

Explore the roles and responsibilities of Limited Partners (LPs) and General Partners (GPs) in private equity—and how to strengthen these vital partnerships.

The top venture capital firms by AUM and sector in 2026

The 20 largest venture capital firms of 2026, ranked by AUM, with portfolio data, exits, and the top investors in SaaS, fintech, healthcare, and AI.

Top 6 Copper CRM alternatives

Affinity, Salesforce, Hubspot, Pipedrive, SugarCRM, and Zoho CRM are today’s top alternatives to Copper CRM. Learn what makes the difference.

Top 5 alternatives to DealCloud

Affinity, Salesforce, Copper, Pipedrive, and Airtable are today's best alternatives to DealCloud for venture capital CRM. Learn what makes the difference.