The startup world is obsessed with exits.
We glorify them. We celebrate them.
We treat them like the ultimate badge of honor, proof that we made it.
But outside of TechCrunch headlines and a few polished LinkedIn posts from founders, we rarely talk about how exits actually happen.
And even less about how they feel, especially when you’re not the founder.
Most stories are PR-filtered. Mythologized.
But behind the champagne and the press release, exits are messy. Emotional. Unpredictable.
They can change your life.
But not always in the way you’d expect.
So here’s my take on what a “successful” exit really felt like.
Not from the CEO’s POV.
But from a designer, right in the middle of the team.
When the glitter settled.
When the hangovers wore off.
When the Mallorca company trip was over.
What was left?
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