S2 #5 Ashley Pelzel
Embracing Serendipity and Building Teams with Heart: Lessons from Ashley Pelzel’s Journey From Bridgewater to Astro Mechanica
My colleague and co-host Alexis Munger and I had the pleasure of sitting down with Ashley Pelzel, COO of Astro Mechanica for a recent episode of the 1st10 Podcast. We discussed Ashley’s incredible career journey, her philosophy on building teams, and the power of embracing serendipity.
Here are some of the key takeaways from our conversation.
Serendipity as a Strategy
One of the most striking themes from Ashley’s career is her deliberate embrace of serendipity. After spending a decade at Bridgewater Associates, Ashley decided to leave the structured world of hedge funds to explore new opportunities. BUT, instead of meticulously planning her next move, she chose to say “yes” to the unknown. She packed up her life, moved to South Carolina, and opened herself up to chance encounters and unexpected opportunities.
And that decision brought her to Astro Mechanica, a startup that is building the future of aviation. It is a simple but powerful reminder that while planning is important, leaving room for serendipity can lead to extraordinary outcomes.
The Importance of Heart in Building Teams
During the course of our conversation, Ashley shared a beautiful story about the team coming in to bolt together a test stand for their jet engine, on a Saturday! No one had asked them to; they just showed up because they cared.
This kind of dedication doesn’t come from a paycheck or a fancy title. It comes from working with people who share a common purpose and who genuinely care about each other. Every founder will agree that the people you work with are just as important as the mission you’re pursuing.
Zero-to-One Is About Mindset, Not Experience
What truly blew me away though is that Ashley was often told - by multiple people - that she wasn’t a “zero-to-one” person! She took all that in her stride and quietly proved to all her doubters that mindset matters more than experience. At Astro Mechanica, she dove headfirst into a field she knew nothing about (aviation) and quickly became an integral part of the team.
Her advice? “What it takes to be a zero-to-one thinker is an incredibly strong bias for action and learning from it. You need to check your ego at the door.” Whether it’s buying electric motors or restocking the bathroom, being willing to do whatever it takes is what sets successful early-stage team members apart.
The Power of Optimism and Belief in the Future
Finally, it made me giddy with joy to hear Ashley talk about American Dynamism. Moving to El Segundo, California and immersing herself in the world of deep-tech startups gave her a glimpse into the sense of purpose and belief in the future that permeated the community. Hearing her say, “I’ve never been more optimistic about our country” was a beautiful reminder that building something meaningful requires not just technical skills but also a belief in what’s possible.
Ashley’s journey is a masterclass in adaptability, resilience, and the power of human connection. Listening to her share her journey reminded me that success isn’t just about what you do—it’s about how you do it and who you do it with.
And, her journey is an incredible example of how embracing serendipity and staying open to feedback can lead to extraordinary outcomes—whether you’re building a team or navigating a career transition! So, take the leap, trust the process, and see where serendipity takes you!
About Us:
1st10 was founded on the simple philosophy that there is nothing more important to the success of your startup than the first ten engineers you hire. Because the first ten will impact the next ten and any wrong misstep can be the difference between success and failure. 1st10 works with visionary founders and exceptional engineers to build world class engineering teams.
1st10 was founded by Boris Epstein, original founder of Binc, the firm best known for pioneering embedded recruiting in Silicon Valley. Binc built early teams for Pinterest, Ripple, Stripe, Square, Airbnb, Reddit, Tesla and many more. Binc was acquired by Robinhood in 2021.