Ashley Mayer is a Co-Founder and General Partner at Coalition, an early stage venture firm powered by active operators. Coalition invests at the Pre-Seed and Seed and is obsessed with connecting founders in their portfolio and beyond with world class operating talent.

In this episode, Ashley shares her path from Box during IPO prep, to shaping narrative at Social Capital, to helping build Glossier, and ultimately starting Coalition. We discuss storytelling as a true competitive advantage, messaging versus story market fit, intentional cap table design, and why we are in a particularly sloppy era for startup storytelling. Ashley also shares advice for first-time angels and emerging managers. A grounded conversation on narrative, conviction, and building companies and funds with intention.

Learn More About Nucleus: https://nucleustalent.io/

Follow Alex: https://x.com/alexklein0x 

Timestamps:

00:00 - Welcome to The Rise

01:41 - Why storytelling matters

03:38 - Lessons from Box and Social Capital

07:26 - Glossier and consumer storytelling

10:11 - Founding Coalition

21:05 - Intentional cap tables

25:02 - Human energy and company building

25:58 - Messaging versus story market fit

29:35 - First-time versus repeat founders

31:17- Expertise, AI, and credibility

38:30 - The sloppy era of storytelling

40:05 - Advice for emerging managers

45:23 - One company Ashley admires

46:20 - An emerging manager to watch

47:20 - Closing

#venturecapital #investing #podcast #vc #startup #tech

Michael Gilroy is the Founding Partner at Marathon. In this episode, we unpack Michael’s path from Canaan to Coatue and the decision to launch Marathon alongside Gokul Rajaram. We dive deep into the Rule of 200, Michael’s framework for evaluating fintech companies, how he thinks about global fintech expansion, what it takes to build a four-pillar investment team, where he sees Marathon a decade from now, and his advice for emerging fund managers building enduring firms.

Learn More About Nucleus: https://nucleustalent.io/

Follow Alex: https://x.com/alexklein0x 

Timestamps:

0:00 - Welcome Michael Gilroy To The Rise

00:59 - 2025 as the year of the spinout

05:16 - Founding Marathon

10:00 - Hosting startups inside the Marathon office

12:30 - Why building in different geographies matters

13:25 - What an ideal Marathon company looks like

17:57 - Michael’s path into venture capitall

28:00 - Getting hired at Coatue

34:30 - Investing in Mercury and broader fintech trends

37:59 - The rise of angel investing among founders

40:05 - The Rule of 200

43:35 - Challenges of global expansion in fintech

46:50 - How Michael defines his investment style

49:54 - The four partners at Marathon and building the firm

56:00 - The fintech white paper

57:30 - Marathon in 10 years

01:00:16 - Rapid fire: one founder to back, one LP you’re grateful for

01:01:54 - Advice for emerging managers

1:05:20 - Which firm Michael would prioritize getting allocation in

1:07:00 - Thanks for joining, Michael

#venturecapital #investing #podcast #vc #startup #tech

Jonathan Lehr is the Co-Founder and General Partner of Work-Bench, the NYC early-stage enterprise firm managing $375M across four funds with investments in companies such as Socure, Spring Health, and Cockroach Labs.

In this conversation, we walk through the origin story of Work-Bench, how the team planted a flag in New York’s enterprise ecosystem, the role of community in their model, and the experience of navigating institutional LPs as an emerging manager. Jonathan also shares how Work-Bench evaluates early GTM strength, lessons from backing category-defining companies, and what is ahead as the firm raises Fund IV.

Learn More About Nucleus: https://nucleustalent.io/

Follow Alex: https://x.com/alexklein0x

Timestamps:

0:00 — Welcome Jonathan Lehr to The Rise

0:45 — Planting the Flag in NYC’s Enterprise Ecosystem

3:03 — The Enterprise Tech Meetup: Bridging Corporates and Startups

5:39 — Raising Fund I to $160M: The Early Grind

7:44 — How NYC’s Tech Landscape Evolved

9:58 — Institutional LPs: Navigating Process, Challenges, and Momentum

14:55 — Portfolio Deep Dive: Spring Health and Socure

24:05 — How Work-Bench Evaluates Startups & GTM Strength

26:12 — Community as a Durable Moat

31:23 — Go-to-Market Lessons From the Portfolio

33:53 — Preparing Founders for the Series A

40:16 — Raising Fund IV: What’s Changing

44:42 — Shoutouts & Emerging Managers to Watch

48:30 — Thank You Jonathan — Like & Subscribe

#venturecapital #investing #podcast #vc #startup #tech

Turner Novak is the founder and solo GP of Banana Capital and the host of The Peel Pod, with guests spanning from Benchmark’s Eric Vishria and Cendana’s Mike Kim to Weekend Fund’s Ryan Hoover and Sweetgreen’s founder and CEO, Jonathan Neman. From his beginnings in Winnipeg to building Banana Capital out of Ann Arbor, Turner has become one of the most recognizable and trusted voices in venture, known for pairing curiosity and humor with real conviction. He’s built a following of hundreds of thousands and a portfolio that includes BeReal, ScienceIO, Bee, Chainguard, and more. On this episode of The Rise, Turner unpacks the origin of Banana, the flywheel behind his personal brand, and how he’s built a reputation for speed, transparency, and founder trust.

Learn More About Nucleus: https://nucleustalent.io/

Follow Alex: https://x.com/alexklein0x 

Timestamps:

0:00 – welcome turner novak to the rise

0:48 – from winnipeg to venture

2:15 – building banana capital from scratch

5:32 – discovering the power of social

9:41 – creating the peel pod and landing top guests

13:50 – portfolio wins: bereal, scienceio, bee, chainguard, and more

17:22 – the art of moving fast and earning trust

21:03 – raising institutional capital and lessons learned

25:26 – how social compounds into deal flow

29:17 – what founders really want from investors

33:08 – what’s next for banana capital

#venturecapital #investing #podcast #vc #startup #tech

At Also Capital, Mike Annunziata partners with founders solving the hardest problems in space, energy, and advanced manufacturing. His portfolio includes Radiant Nuclear, Northwood Space, and Varda Space Industries where he serves on the board. We talk about the mindset behind conviction investing, the role of trust in early partnerships, and and what it means to be the first call for frontier builders.

Learn More About Nucleus: https://nucleustalent.io/

Follow Alex: https://x.com/alexklein0x 

Timestamps:

0:00 – Welcome Mike Annunziata to The Rise

0:45 – Early influences and what shaped his mindset as an investor

2:20 – From Soros Fund Management to founding Also Capital

6:05 – Backing the next generation of Hard Tech founders

10:12 – Inside the portfolios of Varda Space, Radiant, K2 Space, Northwood, and ConductorAI

14:18 – Serving on the board at Varda Space and staying close to the build

18:07 – Conviction before consensus: how Mike makes early calls

23:26 – The role of trust and partnership in company building

28:35 – Building Also Capital as a firm with long-term gravity

33:42 – Lessons from operating and investing in frontier sectors

39:50 – How the next era of Hard Tech will be built

44:55 – Rapid-fire questions

47:30 – Closing reflections and advice for emerging managers

#venturecapital #investing #podcast #vc #startup #tech

Craig Shapiro is the Founder & Managing Partner at Collaborative Fund. Founded in 2010, Collab Fund focuses on early-stage investments that intersect profit and positive social impact, particularly in the areas of food, climate, health, and finance. Investments include Sweetgreen, Beyond Meat, Reddit, Lyft, & more. In this conversation, we discuss Collab's successful portfolio, their $200 billion climate fund, the Shared Future Fund, a new AI residency in New York City, the evolution of New York's venture ecosystem and the importance of mission-driven investments.

Learn More About Nucleus: https://nucleustalent.io/

Follow Alex: https://x.com/alexklein0x 

Timestamps:

0:00 - Welcome Craig Shapiro to The Rise

1:00  - The Mantra: Better for Me and Better for the World

2:22 - Starting Collab Fund in New York

4:38 - The Evolution of the New York Venture Ecosystem

8:04- Success Stories: Portfolio Companies

14:45 - The Beyond Meat Investment

23:54 - Fundraising Challenges and Early Supporters

28:58 - Institutional Investors and Fund Growth, AI Partnerships

33:09 - Graffiti Art and Collaborative Fund

34:45 - Partnership with Sesame Street

37:47 - AI Residency Program

40:51 - Crypto Spin-Out: Collab Currency

47:56 - Mission-Driven Investment Approach

52:46 - Advice for Emerging Managers

57:35 - Future of Collaborative Fund

1:05:00 - Thanks Craig For Joining! Like & Subscribe

#venturecapital #investing #podcast #vc #startup #tech

The Rise kicks off with the launch of the Nucleus100, the new benchmark for early-stage performance.

Leading the list is Keith Rabois, a rare investor who led early in Ramp and Faire and built a career backing generational founders. From PayPal and Square to Founders Fund and Khosla, Keith has set the standard for outlier investing. We cover how he built that record, what drives conviction, and his advice for the next generation in venture.

Learn More About Nucleus: https://nucleustalent.io/

Follow Alex: https://x.com/alexklein0x 

Timestamps:

0:00 - Welcome Keith Rabois - #1 On The Nucleus100

02:08 - Ramp Investment Story

09:18 - The Era of AI and Young Founders

13:45 - Backing Emerging Managers

16:48 - Advice for Aspiring VCs

21:01 - The Importance of Early Investments

30:25 - Fair Investment Journey

35:34 - Conviction and Competition in Startups

40:10 - The Importance of Talent and Team Building

44:48 - Evaluating Talent and Finding an Edge

48:13 - The Role of a Venture Capitalist

52:43 - Hiring and Building a Strong Team

57:37 - Keith's Time Management & Prioritization

01:00:19 - Future Trends

01:03:12- Thanks Keith For Joining The Rise!

#venturecapital #investing #podcast #vc #startup #tech

Amanda “Robby” Robson is the Founder and Managing Partner of Modern Technical Fund, a $22M debut seed fund backing deeply technical founders in infrastructure, security, and software. In this episode, Robby shares her journey from banking to Norwest and Cowboy Ventures to launching MTF, her disciplined approach to early-stage investing, lessons from building high-impact founder communities, and how she’s redefining what a modern, founder-first seed firm looks like.

Learn More About Nucleus: https://nucleustalent.io/

Follow Alex: https://x.com/alexklein0x 

0:00 - Welcome Robby To The Rise!

0:30 - Robby Going To Cowboy Ventures

3:04 - Early Career and Venture Capital Journey

6:00 - Technical Founders and Investment Strategy

8:30- AI and Cybersecurity Investments

09:53 - Israeli Venture Ecosystem

13:16 - Joining Cowboy Ventures

16:27 - Investment Philosophy and Diligence

28:45 - Fundraising Challenges and LP Relationships

31:36 - First Big Believer and Community Building

37:05 - Building Purpose-Driven Communities

44:12 - Day in the Life of a Fund Manager

52:18 - Advice for Emerging Managers

53:41 - Connecting with Like-Minded Individuals

56:00 - Thanks Robby For Joining! Like & Subscribe

#venturecapital #investing #podcast #vc #startup #tech

Aydin Senkut is the Founder and Managing Partner of Felicis Ventures and shares the story behind building it into one of the most admired firms in venture, with 19 IPOs, 27 unicorn exits, 31 active unicorns, and 245 portfolio companies. He explains how Felicis operates in founder mode, moves with conviction and speed, and builds deep alignment with the founders it backs. Aydin reflects on why reinvention beats pattern recognition, how his Google roots shaped his approach to investing & firm building, and what drove the decision to bring on Peter Deng, former VP of Product at OpenAI and CPO at Airtable. We also touch on recent AI bets like Supabase and Mercor, and close with how Felicis is approaching hiring and Aydin’s advice to emerging managers getting started today.

Learn More About Nucleus: https://nucleustalent.io/
Follow Alex: https://x.com/alexklein0x
Timestamps:

0:00 - Welcome Aydin Senkut to The Rise

2:13 - Felicis Ventures: Philosophy and Success Stories

07:39 - The Founder Development Pledge

10:47 - The Importance of Founder-Led Firms

13:49 - Aydin’s Early Days at Google

22:58 - Reinvention and Strategy at Felicis

29:47 - Building a Winning Team Culture

30:18 - Overcoming Adversity and Celebrating Wins

31:54 - The Importance of People in Business

32:32 - Identifying and Supporting Outliers

35:11 - Felicis’ Team and Growth Strategy

37:02 - The Role of AI and New York Expansion

50:43 - Advice for Aspiring Venture Capitalists

56:06 - The Future of Venture Capital and Emerging Managers

58:28 - Rapid Fire and Closing Thoughts

59:30 - Thanks Aydin For Joining! Like & Subscribe

#venturecapital #investing #vc #startup #tech