Exit Paradox 5,000+ Post-Exit Founders: What Actually Works with Barak Kaufman
Sep 26, 2025
Barak Kaufman, founder of Post-Exit Founders (PEF) and partner at Vine Ventures, shares insights from building a thriving community of over 5,000 exited founders. He delves into the identity recalibration that follows a sale and emphasizes the importance of finding purpose beyond financial success. Barak discusses maintaining kindness at scale and the challenges of fostering genuine connections. He also highlights the messy journeys of post-exit life, advocating for exploration and intentionality in discovering one’s next mission.
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Exit Size Isn't Your Identity
- Exits don't define identity; focusing on dollar figures reinforces the wrong self-image.
- Post-exit life should prioritize finding meaning, purpose, and fulfillment beyond the sale.
From 12-Person Chat To 4,800 Members
- Barak started PEF by putting 12 exited founders in a group chat to simplify asking for advice.
- That small experiment organically grew to a 4,800+ referral-only network in four years.
From Community To Network
- Scaling a trusted community into thousands requires shifting from one community to a network of communities.
- PEF focuses on building smaller, local and topical communities inside the larger referral network.
