Charlotte Angel Connection

AJ Ratani grew up in Dubai and came to America to attend college in Arkansas. His first experience in the US was flying in a propeller plane and seeing a lot of green as he landed in Arkansas – something new to someone living in a desert.  After his college years in Arkansas and Florida, he began his career with a company in Virginia, but he was not satisfied. He wanted a position that would offer him opportunity and growth.  In 2005, pursuing a Monster.com lead, he was “lucky” and was offered a job in Charlotte with a start-up firm, Red Ventures.  He started as a software engineer and grew within the organization to run Red Ventures' largest and fastest growing businesses. We discuss the opportunities and challenges in working with a start-up company of 25, growing to a large world-wide corporation of 3,000.   We also discuss what to look for when hiring, changes in the work environment, and the advantages and disadvantages of growth. In 2017, AJ left Red Ventures, and along with his wife and child, embar