The Rise by Nucleus Story as Leverage: From Glossier to Coalition w/ Ashley MayerAshley Mayer
Dec 24, 2025
In this engaging dialogue, Ashley Mayer, Co-founder and General Partner at Coalition, discusses her journey from shaping narratives at Glossier to diving into early-stage venture capital. She emphasizes the power of storytelling as a competitive advantage for startups and critiques the current sloppy era of brand narratives. Ashley also shares insights on intentional cap table design and the distinct qualities she seeks in founders. With practical advice for first-time angels, this conversation is a goldmine for aspiring investors and startup enthusiasts.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Startups Are Primarily Stories
- Startups are fundamentally stories about the future and convincing others to believe that vision is existential for success.
- Early storytelling wins customers, hires, and investors before product traction exists.
Switching To Learn Consumer Storytelling
- Ashley moved from Social Capital to run communications at Glossier to learn consumer brand storytelling firsthand.
- She left plans to write a novel and instead joined a female-led company to tackle new communication challenges.
Coalition Grew From Angel Scouts
- Coalition began as pooled angel and scout investing with friends and partner firms like Thrive and General Catalyst.
- That early ecosystem approach led Thrive and GC to anchor their first institutional fund later.