Former VC quits to raise kids, confronts ego and identity shift

Chloe Steinberg, who once headed Equinox Ventures and backed companies like Canva, left the venture-capital world shortly after the birth of her second child to prioritize motherhood. Relocating to Connecticut, she found herself repeatedly reduced to the question "What do you do?" and felt compelled to maintain her professional credibility despite no longer holding a formal title. The hardest adjustment, she says, was confronting her own ego and the fear that her ambition might set a poor example for her children.

While she no longer chases high-profile deals, she recently invested in a Silicon Valley startup after a personal outreach, reminding herself that her instincts remain sharp. Steinberg now measures success by the quality of family time rather than deal flow, acknowledging the privilege that enables such choices. She urges others to view ambition as a tool for living well, not merely for grinding.