Francis Larson

Yo, have you heard about Francis Larson? The dude’s a straight-up startup machine. He jumped into the game pretty early and crushed it.

So, here’s the scoop: Francis is the founder and CEO of Ascen, which is basically the back-office superhero for staffing firms. It’s backed by YC (W19), so you already know he’s legit. Ascen handles all the boring but key stuff, onboarding, payroll, timesheets, billing, even funding for US placements. The guy started Ascen in 2018, and he’s been running it ever since, building something that’s super key but often overlooked in the staffing world.

But before that? Francis was all about fintech. He founded Leif, a lending platform, and led that from 2016 until he sold it in 2018. That’s a quick hustle, build, scale, sell. Shows he’s got the fire and knows how to execute fast. It’s not just hustle, he’s got the brains. He even got recognized in LinkedIn’s ‘Next Wave Top 120 Under 35’ back in 2016, no small feat.

His process started way before all that, though. He rolled with Entrepreneur First during their EF3 cohort, getting some real early-stage startup juice. That’s where he cut his teeth, learned how to build stuff from scratch, and got comfortable in the chaos. Plus, he’s got a pretty solid academic background, MSc from LSE and a BA in Philosophy from UC Irvine. That mix of brain power and hustle? That’s rare.

What’s wild is how he’s always been about solving big problems, whether it’s fintech or now staffing. He’s the kind of founder who jumps into the deep end, figures out the mess, and then builds the tools to fix it. His work with Ascen isn’t just about making money; it’s about making the staffing game smoother, faster, more reliable. He’s got a real knack for seeing what’s broken and fixing it with tech.

And he’s not just some quiet guy behind the scenes. He’s been on podcasts, got awards like the ‘Gig Economy Shark Tank’ at SIA, and is pretty active on LinkedIn. The dude’s all about sharing what he’s learned and pushing the envelope.

Bottom line? Francis Larson is a legit builder. He’s one of those founders who’s been in the trenches, learned the ropes, and keeps pushing forward. He’s all about making complex problems simple and expandable. No Cap, he’s one to watch, someone who’s shaping the future of work and staffing, one smart move at a time.