I was in a similar position to OP. I'll comment on
>You could argue that if you're in that situation you should be relying on existing networks to propel you into your next thing
That was very much the case for me. My network is the most valuable thing I posses in many ways, but it is 20 years old and it does stagnate a bit. I used YC founder match to find new connections with (younger) ambitious people who had a strong success drive. More established people tend to have far less bias to commit and act.
>You could argue that if you're in that situation you should be relying on existing networks to propel you into your next thing
That was very much the case for me. My network is the most valuable thing I posses in many ways, but it is 20 years old and it does stagnate a bit. I used YC founder match to find new connections with (younger) ambitious people who had a strong success drive. More established people tend to have far less bias to commit and act.