Interview

June 22, 2020

How to step down as a founder: lessons from Pact Coffee

Stephen Rapoport says more founders and investors should talk frankly about leadership handovers.


Maija Palmer

7 min read

“I did feel ashamed about it. I felt I had failed in some way. I had failed to scale with my business,” says Stephen Rapoport, recalling his decision in 2016 to step down as chief executive of Pact Coffee, the ethical coffee subscription business he had founded.

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Paul Turton CEO of Pact Coffee
Paul Turton, who brought a 20-year background in industry to Pact Coffee.
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Pact Coffee team
It took about six days for the Pact Coffee team to settle into the new management style.
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