# Dan Ashton

> Dan Ashton is the CEO and Co-Founder of Brain Co., a San Francisco-based AI company that builds applied intelligence platforms for the world's most complex institutions - from government permit offices to hospital systems. He brought his AI startup Serene AI into Brain Co.'s orbit and now leads a company backed by $30M in Series A funding from Elad Gil, Affinity Partners, Patrick Collison, Reid Hoffman, and Andrej Karpathy. Before Brain Co., he was an early operator at three unicorns - Opendoor, Faire, and Clubhouse - and a McKinsey consultant before that. Brain Co. has already deployed AI that unlocks $375M annually in permitting value and mitigated $100M+ in supply chain losses.

- **Role:** CEO & Co-Founder at Brain Co.
- **Organizations:** Brain Co., Serene AI (acquired), Clubhouse, Faire, Opendoor
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Unknown, Stanford University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Brain Co., which raised a $30M Series A from Elad Gil, Affinity Partners, Patrick Collison, Reid Hoffman, Andrej Karpathy, and Aravind Srinivas, Served on early teams at three unicorn companies: Opendoor, Faire, and Clubhouse, Scaled Clubhouse from 10 to 100 employees within months as VP of Operations

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Consultant at McKinsey & Company
- **2017-2019** — Early team member at Opendoor (unicorn real-estate platform)
- **2019-2021** — General Manager and Head of International at Faire (B2B wholesale marketplace unicorn)
- **2021-2022** — Vice President at Clubhouse (social audio unicorn), scaled company from 10 to 100 employees in months
- **2020-present** — Venture Partner and Angel Investor - Investing in Great Founders
- **2022-2024** — CEO & Co-Founder of Serene AI (mental health AI companion app)
- **2024** — Serene AI acquired by Brain Co.; Dan joins as Co-Founder & President
- **2024-present** — CEO & Co-Founder at Brain Co., San Francisco

## Achievements

- Co-founded Brain Co., which raised a $30M Series A from Elad Gil, Affinity Partners, Patrick Collison, Reid Hoffman, Andrej Karpathy, and Aravind Srinivas
- Served on early teams at three unicorn companies: Opendoor, Faire, and Clubhouse
- Scaled Clubhouse from 10 to 100 employees within months as VP of Operations
- Brain Co. deployed AI that unlocks $375M annually in government permitting processes
- Brain Co.'s supply chain AI mitigated over $100M in lost revenue for clients
- Brain Co. secured a strategic partnership with OpenAI
- Brain Co. serves 10+ Fortune/Global 2000 companies including Sotheby's and Warburg Pincus
- Built and sold Serene AI (mental health AI companion) prior to Brain Co.

## Latest updates

- **2025-09** — Brain Co. launched from stealth with a $30M Series A led by Elad Gil and Affinity Partners, announced September 11, 2025
- **2025-09** — Brain Co. announced a strategic partnership with OpenAI at time of Series A launch
- **2026-03** — Brain Co. went fully public, sharing detailed case studies on permitting AI, patient pathway automation, and supply chain optimization

## Links

- Website: https://www.dashton.org
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dashton-/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/dan-ashton
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-13