Interview: “Narrative Is Not a Veneer - It’s the Work”
A Conversation with Bill Liao on the Power of Storytelling in Business and AI
🎧 LISTEN: Audio version here – “Narrative is the Work” | 25 minutes
Before joining venture funds, launching global non-profit organisations, and becoming Chair of the Ki Tua Fund, Bill Liao was, and remains, a master of narrative.
Over decades as an investor, technologist, and social entrepreneur, Liao has sharpened a singular focus: behind every credible company or idea lies a coherent, compelling story. In this exclusive Storied. interview, Bill breaks down the function of narrative in business, why authenticity matters more than slick delivery, and just how close AI is to changing language - and leadership - forever.
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Storied: In a noisy funding environment, how important is storytelling for VCs and founders?
Bill Liao: The human world occurs in language. Any structure - any company, fund, movement - is an articulation. If that articulation isn't compelling, it's unlikely your structure will even function, let alone attract capital. The first battle is internal coherence: do your deeds match your words? Storytelling isn’t just the ‘pitch’. It’s how you explain your purpose to the world and build conviction.
There are people who tell powerful stories but can’t execute. And there are founders who achieve amazing things but tell terrible stories no one understands. Neither last. True narrative alignment happens when you tell a great story because it’s grounded in actual achievement - and told with clarity and grace.
Storied: So authenticity is critical - but how do you coach scientists or engineers who aren't natural communicators?
There’s a cognitive mismatch between the mindset of science - rooted in doubt - and entrepreneurship, which relies on building conviction.
Most scientists don't realise they’re operating under the “covenant of doubt.” But founders live in the covenant of conviction. And to get them in a place where they’re able to articulate the business in a way that their customers or teams believe in what they’re doing ‘I work intensely with scientific founders to help them recognize that transition. You can’t dump the science - but you do need to frame it in a way that builds belief.
Take Cyclarity Therapeutics, for example. They’re tackling 7-keto cholesterol, a toxic molecule implicated in stroke, heart attack, and dementia. The founder’s first description was biologically correct but pretty much unreadable.
Over time, we worked to simply reframe the concept: “We take out the trash inside your body.” The science stayed intact, but the articulation became clear, authentic, and compelling. That’s the work.
Storied: What does AI change about storytelling - or its role in building trust?
Right now, everyone’s hyped by large language models (LLMs). But look to history: search existed before Google. What changed things was the interface - the single input box. LLMs may end up as the next evolution of search. The real winner won’t build a better algorithm necessarily, but a better emotional contract with the user.
AI may help us tell stories faster. But what it can’t fully simulate - at least not yet - is the emotional congruence between the teller and the tale. The founder’s job is still to generate conviction in a world of doubt. That’s storytelling. That’s leadership. And no matter how good the prompts get, that part isn’t going away.
🎯 Insight: Founders coming from a science background must consciously shift narrative mindsets to support entrepreneurial storytelling.
For more views and insights from Bill Liao follow him at:
Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/billliao/
What to Read Next:
The AI Co-Pilot: How Generative AI Is Reshaping Change Management and Leadership Communication
Making Meaning Matter with David Pearl | mckinsey.com
The Strategic Narrative Framework by Andy Raskin | youtube.com