About

I make complexthings legible.

Fifteen years turning novel categories into coherent, investable brands, across AI, robotics, health tech, and consumer. I think in systems, but I work at the sentence level.

I come in at the point where a company has something real but hasn't yet found the language or the engine to make people believe in it, and build the systems that close that gap. Positioning frameworks that govern decisions. Voice that scales across teams. Campaigns that create demand. A pipeline that compounds.

The through-line across my career, from Tesla to Ekso Bionics to CalmWave, has been the zero-to-one moment: the point where a category doesn't yet exist, a product is genuinely hard to explain, or a brand needs to be rebuilt on a foundation that no longer fits. That's where I do my best work.

I'm a writer and a strategist in equal measure. I've led teams, managed agencies, directed creative, and sat in the room with founders and boards, and I'm equally comfortable in all of those contexts.

Career — index
2022 — Present
Dimension Express
Head of Brand & Strategy (Contract)
SaaS
2022 — 2026
CalmWave
Director of Marketing (VP)
Healthcare AI
2020 — 2023
Vave Health
Head of Marketing
Medical devices
2019 — 2020
Ekso Bionics
Marketing Manager (Head of Brand & Marketing Strategy)
Robotics
2017 — 2018
Tesla
Customer Experience Specialist, Brand and Partnerships
Consumer · Auto
Earlier
Saks · Michael Kors · Sephora
Consumer, fashion & lifestyle marketing
Consumer brands
Selected recognition
Fast Company Innovation by DesignIDSA IDEA AwardGeekWire Innovation of the YearTITAN Innovation AwardLondon Design AwardInc. Best WorkplacesCB Insights Digital Health 50

Work featured in Forbes · WSJ · TechCrunch · Axios · Bloomberg

Let's talk about what you're building.

Book a 30-min conversation
ashleylynnpola@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/ashleypola
FAQ
What's your professional background?+
15+ years across brand, narrative, and demand, starting in consumer and fashion marketing (Saks Fifth Avenue, Michael Kors, Sephora), then Tesla during the Model 3 era, followed by category-defining work at Ekso Bionics, Vave Health, and CalmWave.
Are you open to full-time VP or CMO roles?+
Yes, I'm actively evaluating Director/VP opportunities alongside a small portfolio of consulting engagements. See the Work section for case studies covering the scope and results of my past roles.
What makes your approach different?+
I own the full arc from brand through demand: not just the creative expression, but the strategic architecture underneath it. I work at the zero-to-one moment, before a category exists, and build systems the team can keep running after I've moved on.
Where are you based?+
I'm based in Walnut Creek, California, and work with companies in the Bay Area as well as remotely across the US.