How To Play Offense During a Downturn with Gokul Rajaram

On this episode of the Traction podcast, host Lloyed Lobo of Boast.AI welcomes Gokul Rajaram, CxO at DoorDash, Board member at Coinbase and Pinterest, and an angel investor in over 100 companies with more than 40 exits and unicorns.

With massive shifts and uncertainty in the markets right now, the default for most companies is to work on a defensive plan to get through it all. Whilst defensive strategies might help a company survive, thriving is a different matter.

To exit this current climate in a stronger, more competitive position, and to be a market leader, you need to play offense. 

In this session, Gokul covers:

3:13 - The habit of paying it forward

8:14 - What's happening in VC right now

14:51 - What good growth rate looks like

19:07 - Good offensive strategies

25:26 - Where to double down on investments and where to pull back

37:57 - Top metrics driving board conversations

42:23 - A CEO's most important operational responsibility in these times

49:29 - Key drivers of company culture

55:00 - How to know when a startup can become a billion-dollar business

Learn more at https://tractionconf.io

Connect with Gokul Rajaram: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gokulrajaram1/

This episode is brought to you by:

Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.

Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca 

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