In their own words

My company was at a major inflection point, and I knew we needed to seriously investigate all of the paths in front of us. Sara became an invaluable partner as I worked through what were some of the most consequential decisions I’d made as a founder and CEO.

Together, we looked honestly at every option: continuing to operate while significantly reducing costs through layoffs and other cuts; rethinking our pricing and packaging; identifying and pursuing strategic partnerships; and ultimately exploring an acquisition. Sara helped me think through each path, understand the tradeoffs, turn ideas into concrete plans, and then actually execute on them. Ultimately, we successfully sold the company.

What makes Sara particularly valuable in moments like this is that she’s been in these shoes herself. She understands the mechanics of what needs to happen and can help you navigate everything from strategy and negotiations to the difficult people decisions along the way. But just as importantly, she understands what it feels like to be the founder going through it.

There is an enormous range of emotions that comes with reaching this stage of a company—the doubt and fear, the pressure and uncertainty, the excitement about what might be possible, and eventually the complicated emotions that come with letting go of something you’ve built. Sara understood all of it. She knew when to challenge my thinking, when to help me see another option, and when I simply needed a thoughtful, experienced person alongside me as I worked through a difficult decision.

Sara was a trusted partner at every step of the process. Having someone who could support both the strategic decisions and the very human experience of navigating them made an enormous difference.

Sara has been an invaluable part of our Friends & Family accelerator for the past three years. In our 2026 cohort, we expanded her role to Executive Coach in Residence, giving founders dedicated access to her throughout the program.

Founding a company can be incredibly isolating, and there are challenges that are difficult to discuss with investors, advisors, or even your cofounder. Sara gave our founders a trusted, confidential space to work through the issues keeping them up at night—from cofounder conflict and difficult pivots to fundraising, product strategy, and go-to-market challenges.

What makes Sara especially valuable to founders is that she’s been in their shoes. She brings firsthand experience as a founder, CEO, and product leader: she’s raised venture capital, built and led a company from founding through a successful exit, and served as Chief Product Officer of a public company. That experience gives her a rare understanding of both the personal and business challenges founders are navigating.

The feedback from our founders was consistently enthusiastic. The founders praised Sara not just for her experience and perspective, but for her ability to listen, ask the right questions, and help them find clarity without telling them what to do. Having someone they could be candid with, who understood both the human and business sides of building a company, became an incredibly valuable part of the accelerator experience.

Sara is a trusted friend and partner to Slauson & Co. and the founders we support, and I’m grateful for the care, thoughtfulness, and experience she brings to this work.

Sara and I have been working together for over one and a half years. Her experience as a founder and former CEO, leading a venture-backed company from founding to exit, has been invaluable. Sara navigates inquiry with empathy, knowing when to go deeper on a topic that needs more space and time. She also has very strong product instincts that have helped to shape my thinking and approach to growing my team and business.