Ashley's mission is simple: give founders leverage — and keep the engine running. She leads Uncork's Operations and Platform team, overseeing the firm's internal infrastructure alongside the networks, tools, and playbooks that help startups solve problems faster, form the right partnerships, and scale with confidence.
On the operations side, she manages everything from compliance and fundraising diligence to IT systems, vendor relationships, HR and benefits administration, and legal coordination — the behind-the-scenes work that keeps a $1.2B fund running smoothly. She also cultivates Uncork's thriving founder community — designing high-impact gatherings from intimate dinners and "Uncork Sessions" to the annual Summit — spaces where founders learn from each other and build lasting relationships.
She also co-leads VIA, a community dedicated to elevating the next generation of operations leaders, where she channels her passion for community and building stronger, more diverse teams across the industry.
Ashley has been at the heart of Uncork since day one. As the firm's first hire, she built the foundational processes and systems that still shape how Uncork runs today — from the firm's financial operations and LP reporting workflows to its technology stack, security and compliance frameworks, and office infrastructure. She continues to drive that work forward, managing the firm's CRM and data systems, coordinating operational due diligence with institutional LPs, overseeing equipment and device management, and running the operational playbook for everything from tax and accounting to insurance and outside counsel. Her approach combines operational rigor with a deep passion for community and knowledge-sharing, making her an invaluable partner to founders navigating the intensity of the early stage.
Before venture, Ashley spent more than a decade in finance. She began her career at Smith Barney supporting high-net-worth clients, was a licensed broker at Morgan Stanley managing accounts for senior VPs, and later served as marketing director and registered assistant at Rosenbaum Financial in Portland. That mix of compliance, fundraising, and client relations shaped the operational lens she now brings to Uncork’s portfolio.
Ashley earned her BS in Business Administration from the University of Oregon.
Outside of Uncork, she’s a proud mom of two fierce girls, an avid traveler, an opera-trained singer turned musical theatre audience member, happiest near the water – ideally with a good crime or fantasy novel and a cocktail.

Joyce Lee
Head of Finance


