Mentor Network

Mentors who have
actually been there.

Every Astronomic mentor is a post-exit founder — someone who has built a company, raised capital, and sold it. Not a corporate advisor. Not a consultant. A founder who has been exactly where you are.

2,000+

Post-Exit Founders

250

In Austin, TX

1,500

In San Francisco

40+

Industries Covered

The PEF Network

The most credible mentor network in the startup ecosystem

Astronomic's mentor network is powered by Post-Exit Founders (PEF) — a global community of 2,000 founders who have built and sold companies, primarily in tech. With 250 members in Austin and 1,500 in San Francisco, PEF represents the deepest concentration of real-world startup experience available to any founder.

The problem with most accelerator mentor networks is that the mentors are corporates who have never actually built a startup. Who better to coach you through your Series A fundraise for a B2B SaaS healthcare company than a founder who built, fundraised for, and sold a B2B SaaS healthcare company?

Every mentor has built and sold at least one company
Matched by exit type, vertical, and fundraising path
Available for structured one-hour weekly sessions
Orbit members: mentor earns equity from your SAFE pool

Network Depth

2,000+

Post-exit founders globally

250

In Austin, Texas

1,500

In San Francisco

40+

Industries represented

100%

Have actually exited

0

Corporate advisors

How We Match

Specificity is the point

Generic mentorship is noise. We match on four dimensions so that every session is immediately useful.

Exit Type

Strategic acquisition, PE buyout, acqui-hire, or IPO — matched by how your mentor exited, not just that they did.

Strategic acquisitionPE buyoutAcqui-hireIPO / SPAC

Fundraising Path

Bootstrapped, VC-backed, revenue-based financing, or crowdfunded — your mentor has walked the exact same capital path.

Bootstrapped to exitVC-backed (Seed–Series C)Revenue-based financingReg CF / Reg D

Vertical & Industry

B2B SaaS, healthcare, fintech, consumer, deep tech — matched by the specific market you are building in.

B2B SaaSHealthcare / MedTechFintechConsumer / DTC

Current Challenge

Fundraising, hiring, go-to-market, product-market fit, or M&A prep — matched by what you are working through right now.

Fundraising prepFirst enterprise saleScaling the teamM&A readiness

Sample Mentors

A glimpse into the network

JR

James Rourke

Enterprise SaaS

Available
"The hardest part of my Series B wasn't the pitch — it was knowing which investors to avoid."
DataBridge → Oracle
Strategic Acquisition · 2 exits
VC-backed (Seed → Series B)
Austin, TX
Enterprise salesSeries A–B fundraisingM&A prep
EV

Elena Vasquez

MarTech / Analytics

Available
"I bootstrapped to $8M ARR before anyone told me I could raise. That path is underrated."
Campfire Analytics → Salesforce
Strategic Acquisition · 1 exit
Bootstrapped to $8M ARR, then sold
San Francisco, CA
BootstrappingProduct-market fitAcquisition negotiation
RC

Ryan Chen

B2B SaaS

Engaged
"Three exits taught me that the best acquirers are the ones already using your product."
Funnelbox → HubSpot
Strategic Acquisition · 3 exits
VC-backed (Seed → Series A)
Austin, TX
Go-to-marketAcqui-hire strategyRepeat founding
LK

Layla Khoury

Fintech / Payments

Available
"Fintech due diligence is a different animal. I wish I'd had someone walk me through it."
Clearpath Payments → Stripe
Strategic Acquisition · 1 exit
VC-backed (Seed → Series A)
New York, NY
Fintech regulationSeed fundraisingStripe ecosystem
DM

David Mensah

Healthcare SaaS

Available
"Healthcare sales cycles are 18 months. If you don't know that going in, you'll run out of runway."
CareFlow Health → Optum
Strategic Acquisition · 2 exits
VC-backed (Seed → Series C)
Austin, TX
Healthcare GTMSeries B–C fundraisingEnterprise contracts
AP

Aisha Patel

B2B SaaS / Operations

Available
"PE buyers want clean books, recurring revenue, and low churn. Build for that from day one."
OperationsIQ → PE Buyout (Vista Equity)
Private Equity Buyout · 1 exit
Bootstrapped to $12M ARR
Chicago, IL
PE exit prepBootstrappingOperations & scaling

Full mentor profiles visible to Astronomic members

Create Free Profile

How It Works

From profile to first session

01

Create your profile

Tell us your company stage, vertical, fundraising path, and the specific challenge you are working through right now.

02

Get matched

We identify post-exit founders in the PEF network who have built and sold a company in your exact vertical, with your exact fundraising history.

03

Meet your mentor

One hour per week for four weeks. A structured engagement with a founder who has been exactly where you are.

04

Extend or rotate

Continue with the same mentor for another term, or rotate to a new mentor for a different challenge.

FAQ

Common questions

For Post-Exit Founders

Give back to the next generation of builders

If you have built and sold a company and want to help founders who are where you once were, apply to join the Astronomic mentor network. One hour per week. A small equity stake. A meaningful relationship with a founder who needs exactly what you have.

Earn equity in the companies you mentor
Match with founders in your exact vertical
Flexible commitment — one hour per week
Access to Astronomic community and events

Apply to become a mentor

We review every application personally. You will hear from us within 3 business days.