# Ana-Maria Constantin

> Ana-Maria Constantin is the CEO and co-founder of Cascade AI, a Bellevue-based startup building agentic AI that automates the grind of HR and back-office operations. A Harvard dual major in computer science and astrophysics who left Romania after high school, she spent five-plus years as a software engineer at Microsoft writing code that touched millions of users on Azure before deciding HR - the function that touches more lives than any other in a company - was the perfect place to point machine learning. She raised a $5.45M-plus seed round led by Google's Gradient Ventures with AlleyCorp, was named GeekWire's Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2024, and recognized as a 2025 Google Cloud Partner All-Star.

- **Role:** CEO & Co-Founder at Cascade AI
- **Organizations:** Cascade AI, Microsoft, Harvard University, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
- **From:** Romania
- **Nationality:** Romanian-American
- **Education:** BA in Computer Science and Astrophysics (dual degree), Harvard University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Cascade AI (2022), an agentic AI platform for HR and back-office operations, Raised a seed round led by Google's Gradient Ventures with AlleyCorp; total funding $5.45M+, Named GeekWire Young Entrepreneur of the Year (2024)

## Career timeline

- **pre-2016** — Left Romania after high school to study in the United States
- **Harvard** — Earned a dual degree in Computer Science and Astrophysics; served as Co-President of the Woodbridge International Students Society and Director of International Freshman Affairs; research ties to the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
- **Microsoft** — Spent 5+ years as a software engineer, including on the Azure Compute Efficiency team, building large-scale cloud systems and earning patents in AI systems
- **2022** — Co-founded Cascade AI with Pulak Goyal as the industry shifted from deep learning to generative AI
- **2023** — Named a finalist for GeekWire Young Entrepreneur of the Year
- **2024-05** — Named GeekWire Young Entrepreneur of the Year
- **2024-10** — Cascade AI raised $3.75M seed led by Gradient Ventures (Google's AI fund), with AlleyCorp; total funding $5.45M+
- **2025** — Recognized as a Google Cloud Partner All-Star for advancing secure, agentic AI for HR

## Achievements

- Co-founded Cascade AI (2022), an agentic AI platform for HR and back-office operations
- Raised a seed round led by Google's Gradient Ventures with AlleyCorp; total funding $5.45M+
- Named GeekWire Young Entrepreneur of the Year (2024)
- Recognized as a 2025 Google Cloud Partner All-Star
- Holds multiple patents in AI systems from her Microsoft tenure
- Won The Conference Board Innovators 'Pitch to Win' competition with co-founder Pulak Goyal
- Dual degree in Computer Science and Astrophysics from Harvard

## Latest updates

- **2025** — Recognized as a Google Cloud Partner All-Star for advancing secure, agentic AI for HR.
- **2024-10** — Closed $3.75M seed round led by Gradient Ventures (Google's AI fund) with AlleyCorp; Cascade total funding reaches $5.45M+.
- **2024-05** — Named GeekWire Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

## Links

- Website: https://gocascade.ai
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ana-maria-constantin-a0628591/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ana-maria-constantin
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-25