India, April 26 -- Years spent chasing startup success taught entrepreneur and CEO Ron Schneidermann a lesson he now wishes he had understood earlier: professional ambition is not worth losing moments with family.

The tech executive, who has led companies across the travel, outdoor and education sectors, reflected on the personal cost of extreme hustle culture while speaking to Fortune. Although his career eventually brought him major success, he admitted that the sacrifices he once normalised came at too high a price.

Schneidermann said the pressure of building his first startup consumed nearly every aspect of his life. During the early years of founding Liftopia, an online marketplace for ski resorts, he lived frugally in a tiny apart...