Like you, I raised money, went through a top accelerator and had a wild ride that doomed in failure.
It's ok to be terrified. It's ok to hurt. Fear paralyzes. You will pull your socks up and do what you need to do. It'll hurt more than you know. You'll quickly separate your real friends from the rest. And then something amazing will happen, your life will go on.
The first thing you'll notice is how much of life you've missed while riding the startup "high life". Big things like love, family, reality will suddenly become clearer and no longer dimmed by the tinnitus of whatever TechStars derivative you've been through.
The next is that you're a hell of a lot wiser. You'll find a job and you'll start performing. You'll look like a legend because the pace and agility you learned to work at during your startup days will make you a rockstar anywhere you decide to put your talents to use.
Your performance will bring more money, and power (to a degree) than you've ever made before. You'll make up for lost time.
And then, like all of us, you'll hear the siren song of entrepreneurship beckon you out into the world again. You'll pick up the pieces and start anew.
Many accelerators have a knack for picking up teams that have demonstrated the ability to build things that generate revenue and traction. The siren song of money, networking and growth is really seductive. The implications you speak of (and I experienced it) aren't always so clear (or too easy for a prospective founder to dismiss).
Founders are all very well aware, employees still in the dark.
No raise potential as metrics are nowhere near where they should be. Solid IP and team that might make for a good acquisition, provided investors will OK it (they've rejected one some time ago)
Not a cautionary tale, just a blog to vent my frustrations and record the experience.
I'm not in a position to give "advice" nor do I suggest anyone follows "advice".
If you're a new founder and about to get on the VC train, through the accelerator and out again at light speed, it's good to know that this is one way it can all end up. (Nobody really speaks about it anyhow)
Like you, I raised money, went through a top accelerator and had a wild ride that doomed in failure.
It's ok to be terrified. It's ok to hurt. Fear paralyzes. You will pull your socks up and do what you need to do. It'll hurt more than you know. You'll quickly separate your real friends from the rest. And then something amazing will happen, your life will go on.
The first thing you'll notice is how much of life you've missed while riding the startup "high life". Big things like love, family, reality will suddenly become clearer and no longer dimmed by the tinnitus of whatever TechStars derivative you've been through.
The next is that you're a hell of a lot wiser. You'll find a job and you'll start performing. You'll look like a legend because the pace and agility you learned to work at during your startup days will make you a rockstar anywhere you decide to put your talents to use.
Your performance will bring more money, and power (to a degree) than you've ever made before. You'll make up for lost time.
And then, like all of us, you'll hear the siren song of entrepreneurship beckon you out into the world again. You'll pick up the pieces and start anew.
Ride the wave, brother/sister. Godspeed.