Need advice - reentering industry

I was a top performer at an alternative investment manager. I don't want to explain what I was doing because it was very niche.

I took a demotion in title to join a MF. Well, things didn't work out at the MF. Spent about 2 years there and decided to leave and try some entrepreneurial ventures.

I found a gig with a startup that is paying me very well to help them grow their biz / strategy while also allowing me to pursue my entrepreneurial endeavors. Kind of a win win...

However, after this sabbatical, I'm ready to get back into institutional finance.

I feel like one of the issues I have is my trajectory doesn't make sense. Why would you take a demotion to leave somewhere you were a top performer? Well, for the prestige, duh! Yeah, that was a dumb decision. I know. Also, when I start talking about coding with AI and the business I turned around now doing $x a month, they start looking at me like I'm from another planet. Maybe thinking I'm lying, maybe just too off the trodden path - I'm not sure.

I'm really looking to land something good, and thankfully have a lot of runway and am currently earning, but at the same time, I feel like the longer I am out, the exponentially more difficult It will be to get back in.