Growth Hub #13: You Can't Run a Company You Can't Read - Financial Literacy with Maurizio Raffone
The Growth Hub is our monthly gathering for an open exchange on the realities of building and scaling ventures in Japan.
Most early-stage founders can describe their product in detail. But ask about their margins, their burn, or what their balance sheet actually says — and the room goes quiet.
To address it, we are hosting Maurizio Raffone, Fractional CFO for Tech companies, with 25+ years across capital markets, structured finance, and venture capital in Asia.
This session will be run using the Socratic method: participants will receive a reference sheet on arrival and work through real concepts applied to their own businesses (prepare your questions!).
Topics you can expect:
Reading your own financials: What does your P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow statement actually tell you — and what decisions should they be driving?
The numbers that matter: Which metrics are meaningful at your stage, and which ones are vanity dressed as strategy?
Burn and runway: Can you calculate both, explain the difference, and defend your assumptions?
Revenue, properly defined: MRR, ARR, deferred revenue — what they mean, when they apply, and how misusing them distorts your own picture.
Describing your business: Can you explain what your company does, financially, in two minutes — to a banker, an investor, or a new hire?
This interactive discussion will be moderated by Francisco (Special Advisor, Shibuya City).
Conducted in English.
🗼 About Shibuya Startup Support
Shibuya Startup Support is an initiative by the Shibuya City Office to support startups looking to launch or expand in Japan. We provide guidance, visa and incorporation support, and access to a thriving local ecosystem.
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🌱 About Tokyo Startup Lunch Club
We are a group of startup founders, investors and other people related to or interested in the startup scene, who gather every Tuesday at the Tokyo International Forum, starting from 11:30 AM to have lunch, share our experiences and discuss various topics in a casual environment.