In this episode of Ventures, my guest Gary Raju (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-raju-a014865/) and I discuss how venture builders and investors should be thinking about the upcoming economic downturn. We talk about the role of a CFO in a growing company, an overall assessment of the market conditions globally and in the US, how new and existing entrepreneurs should prepare, how Web3/Crypto will play a role, and market areas that Gary is most excited about in the future.

You can watch this episode below or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts (search for “Ventures”).

1:44 - Tee-up for the episode

2:05 - Gary introduction and background

2:35 - What is a CFO? How does the role change as a company grows?

3:21 - At what point does the CFO become an appropriate role in a growing startup?

4:30 - As a company scales, what are the day-to-day and quarter-to-quarter roles of a CFO?

5:47 - Overall assessment of the US and global economy…what is going on?

11:10 - How should established entrepreneurs think about the current and near-term future, given the economic climate?

15:32 - What should new entrepreneurs think about this upcoming recession?

19:55 - What does Gary think about Crypto/Web3?

23:15 - What does Gary think about DeFi (Decentralized Finance)?

26:00 - What are the spaces/markets that Gary is most interested in from an investor perspective?

29:13 - Final words / summary for the venture-builders/investors out there. 1. Don’t be overly concerned. 2. You can do it. 3. Prota Ventures is here to help.

30:28 - Where can people find Gary and continue the conversation? gary.ragu@protaventures.com // https://www.protaventures.com/ // https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-raju-a014865/