"One way to begin exploring E2C could be by identifying a subset of startups in venture capital portfolios that lie in “zombie” territory—somewhere between failure and exit-ready. Investor owners would benefit from having a new way of liquidating investments that would otherwise lie dormant. In some cases, the community might be in a position to buy the company with cash on hand—especially if it came back to them in later savings or profits"

"When a startup company takes early investment, typically the expectation is that everyone is working toward one of two “exit” events: selling the company to a bigger company or selling to retail investors in an initial public offering."

"In E2C, the company would transition from investor ownership to ownership by the people who rely on it most."

"Most importantly, the key stakeholders should know the company is worthy of their trust and ongoing investment because they co-own it."

"For a social-media company, this might mean that users have a meaningful say in how their private data is or isn’t used."

"These kinds of outcomes could help prevent the massive accountability crises that now beset today’s most successful venture-backed startups."

"getting going under community ownership doesn’t seem like the right approach in many cases."

"Ambitious startups are a risky endeavor, and it may not be fair to distribute that risk with early-stage participants."

"Also, startups usually need to make a few dramatic pivots early in their life, and having a large community of co-owners would make those hard decisions more difficult than if a small, high-trust group of founders is in charge."