---
title: E2C Primer
date: '2025-06-24'
draft: false
description: "A comprehensive introduction to Exit to Community concepts and strategies"
tags:
- primer
- education
- getting-started
---

## Introduction to Exit to Community

Exit to Community (E2C) represents a fundamental shift from traditional startup exit strategies. Instead of selling to the highest bidder or going public, E2C enables companies to transition ownership to their users, workers, and communities.

## Core Principles

**Community Ownership**: Users and stakeholders become actual owners of the platforms and services they depend on.

**Democratic Governance**: Decision-making power is distributed among community members rather than concentrated in the hands of a few.

**Value Alignment**: The organization's mission remains aligned with community values rather than solely focused on financial returns.

**Sustainability**: Long-term community benefit takes precedence over short-term profit maximization.

## Why Exit to Community?

Traditional exit strategies often result in:
- Mission drift as new owners prioritize profit over purpose
- Loss of community input in product development
- Extraction of value from the community that built the platform
- Potential shutdown or radical changes that harm users

E2C offers an alternative that:
- Preserves the organization's original mission
- Ensures community voices remain central to decision-making
- Keeps value creation within the community
- Provides long-term stability and sustainability

## Getting Started

Interested in exploring E2C for your organization? Consider:

1. **Assess Readiness**: Evaluate your organization's maturity and community engagement
2. **Explore Models**: Research different cooperative and community ownership structures
3. **Legal Framework**: Understand the legal requirements and options in your jurisdiction
4. **Community Engagement**: Begin conversations with your user base and stakeholders
5. **Implementation Planning**: Develop a transition strategy that works for your specific context

## Learn More

Explore our [case studies](/case-studies/) to see real-world examples of E2C transitions, and review our [legal snippets](/legal-snippets/) for practical frameworks and documentation.