Hi, thank you for the warm welcome, it is genuinely a pleasure to be in a room with so many sharp, accomplished people this evening. My name is Karan Vij, and I run a small consultancy that helps early-stage startups streamline their financial planning, something I fell into almost by accident after spending six years working in corporate finance and realizing I far preferred helping smaller, scrappier teams figure things out from scratch. What draws me to evenings like this one is not just the chance to talk about what I do, but the opportunity to actually listen, because some of the best ideas I have built my business around came from casual conversations exactly like the ones happening in this room right now. A little about my background, I started my career analyzing balance sheets for companies far larger than myself, but I always felt most energized when a founder walked in with a messy spreadsheet and genuine passion, because that combination, more than polish, is usually what predicts success. Outside of work, I am an enthusiastic, if mediocre, home cook, and I have found that the discipline of following a recipe and the discipline of building a financial model are oddly similar, both reward patience far more than talent. I am here tonight hoping to connect with founders who are scaling, investors who enjoy a good debate about market timing, and honestly, anyone willing to share what is keeping them up at night professionally, because those conversations tend to be the most useful ones. If any of what I have shared resonates with a challenge you are currently facing, I would genuinely love to continue this conversation over coffee sometime this week. I have a few cards with me, so please do not hesitate to grab one before the evening wraps up. Thank you again for listening, and I am looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible tonight.
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