At Ceres, Manu Diwakar recognized that scaling an expensive dry-land farming product lacked economic logic. With capital scarce, he urged the CEO to walk away from the misaligned business line and refocus on higher-value specialty crops—prioritizing sustainable unit economics over growth for growth’s sake.
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Now Watch the Complete Episode Featuring CFO Manu Diwakar of Virta Health
Manu Diwakar discusses building sustainable, mission-aligned businesses and the CFO’s responsibility to act with conviction. He traces formative lessons from Bain Capital, hypergrowth at Riot Games, and his first “captain’s chair” role, shaping a people-first view of finance as capital allocation. At Virta Health, he explains reversing metabolic disease through a B2B2C model that partners with employers, insurers, and government, using claims data to show value, including a 2:1 ROI for type 2 diabetes. He compares Virta’s approach with GLP-1 economics, outlines investment priorities, and describes how AI augments clinicians, forecasting, and operations while keeping governance and patient privacy central.
| CFO’s Strategy Playbook |
|---|
| • Build sustainable business before chasing exits |
| • Treat talent as primary capital allocation |
| • Use data and AI to personalize care |