Seattle venture capital firm Ascend held its fifth annual Founders Bash event at Block 41 on Thursday. (GeekWire Photo / Taylor Soper)We dropped by Ascend’s annual Founders Bash event last night in Seattle to assess how startup leaders are thinking about AI, fundraising, and the city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. “We’re learning how to give AI really clear instructions,” said Alex West, who just launched an AI-powered coach for early stage founders. Branden Doyle, CEO at air health startup Violett, said only a small subset of Seattle investors are open to hardware companies. Elizabeth Scallon, another longtime Seattle startup leader, said she’s bullish on physical AI as a broader trend.