Ex-founder looking for Product Leadership / Senior PM opportunities. Would love advice from others who've made this transition.

After spending the last 2.5 years building a startup as part of the founding team, I'm back in the market and exploring Product Leadership (Group PM, Lead PM sort of roles).

I was part of the founding team at a gaming startup, leading product and helping build the business from the ground up. Prior to the startup, I spent several years building and scaling consumer products across streaming, adtech, gaming etc.

The transition back into the job market has been harder than I expected. I've tried the usual routes, applications, referrals, recruiter conversations, and direct outreach to founders and hiring managers, but I'm curious to learn what has actually worked for others who made a similar move.

One thing I'm actively investing in is staying ahead of the AI shift. I've spent significant time working with AI tooling, building side projects, experimenting with agentic workflows, and so on. I have working demos and prototypes that I'm happy to share.

A few things I'd love input on from people who've made a similar transition:

• How did you position founder experience when applying for product roles?
• Which industries were most receptive to ex-founders?
• Did you find success through applications, referrals, recruiters, or direct outreach? If yes, what did you do that was different.
• Any advice on navigating the "overqualified for some roles, underqualified for others" trap?

I'm open to exploring industries beyond my previous experience and am realistic about compensation if the opportunity and learning curve make sense.

If you've navigated a similar transition, I'd appreciate any advice. And if anyone is hiring for senior product talent, I'd be happy to connect :)

Disclaimer: Used Claude for grammar check in this post.