Steve Schlafman

According to his own writing site, he became a partner at a multi-billion-dollar New York venture capital firm in January 2017 and resigned several months later, telling his partners he wanted to become a coach; he says a sabbatical and a long period of transition followed. The firm is not named in these accounts.⁠[1][2][3]

On his personal website he says that during his sabbatical he felt called to coaching and enrolled in Coaching for Transformation, a ten-month certification program; he later became ICF-certified.⁠[2][1]

In a Medium post he introduced Downshift, which he founded and described as a “decelerator” program for high performers in transition: an eight-week program with a two-day in-person retreat in the Hudson Valley, weekly workshops, one-on-one coaching sessions and daily contemplative practices, with the first spring cohort planned to start on April 17, 2024. He later wrote on his website that the group coaching program guided dozens of professionals in transition over several years.⁠[3][2]

His personal website describes his work as guiding founders and leaders through inflection points through coaching, writing and teaching; he also writes on Substack under the name “Where the Road Bends” and describes his mission as helping high performers in midlife navigate work-life transitions.⁠[4][1]

He says that before becoming a coach he spent nearly two decades as a venture capitalist and operator, holding leadership roles at Primary Venture Partners, Lerer Hippeau Ventures, RRE Ventures and The Kraft Group, the owner of the New England PatriotsNew England PatriotsThe New England Patriots are an NFL professional American football team in the AFC East, based at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Founded in 1959, they began AFL play as the Boston Patriots in 1960 and adopted their current name in 1971. Robert Kraft has owned the team since 1994. The Bill Belichick–Tom Brady era produced six Super Bowl titles, and Mike Vrabel became head coach in 2025.Open the full entry; the site does not give titles or years for these roles.⁠[2]

Personal website: Public link: https://www.steveschlafman.com/ (opens in a new window)⁠[4]

Where the Road Bends: Public link: https://www.wheretheroadbends.co/ (opens in a new window)⁠[1]

X: Public account: https://x.com/schlaf (opens in a new window)⁠[4]

LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: Public profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schlaf/ (opens in a new window)⁠[4]