CFO insights: A conversation with Jared Thear of Western Technology Investment

Today’s CFOs are navigating a rapidly changing business environment where strategic insight, operational efficiency and adaptability are more essential than ever. To explore how modern finance leaders are tackling these challenges, our CFO Luke Pritchett spoke with Jared Thear, CFO and CCO of Western Technology Investment (WTI). With decades of experience at Deloitte and now guiding one of the top venture debt firms in the country, he offers a grounded and practical perspective that resonates with finance teams working to scale smarter and faster.

From Deloitte to WTI: a CFO’s evolution

Luke: Jared, it’s great to reconnect and I’ve enjoyed following your career journey leading up to your current role at WTI. Could you share more about your transition from Deloitte to WTI, the experiences you’ve gained and how they’ve shaped your approach as CFO?

Jared: Thanks Luke – it’s great to be here. I previously worked at Deloitte for 22 years and left the firm in 2021 to work with WTI as the CFO, CCO. During my time at Deloitte I worked with investment firms and portfolio companies which ranged in their life cycle, from startup through IPO. This unique blend of experience allowed me to better understand the various challenges companies may go through from both the portfolio company’s management and as an investor. It helped me better understand the importance of being collaborative and working together toward a similar goal or vision which ultimately benefits everyone.

Guiding portfolio companies with a collaborative approach

Luke: Given WTI’s extensive involvement with numerous portfolio companies, how do you approach advising or mentoring finance leaders within these organizations? Are there particular frameworks or methodologies you find effective?

Jared: I’ll answer this more broadly in that WTI has a highly collaborative approach to managing its underlying portfolio companies. It’s one of the main reasons I decided to leave Deloitte to work with them. In working with management, the goal is to allow them to achieve their milestones with as much autonomy as possible, while still being available to step in and assist where needed if challenging situations arise.

Embracing AI and automation to support the CFO office

Luke: Recent research highlights the growing adoption of software solutions aimed at empowering the CFO office, particularly driven by the evolving, cross-functional responsibilities of CFOs. Are these trends impacting your portfolio companies at WTI, and if so, how are you addressing these developments?

Jared: AI and related software solutions have continued to evolve and assist back offices across essentially all sectors – so yes, I certainly see this as a trend impacting everyone. As a CFO there are numerous cross-functional competing responsibilities. Capacity constraints often impact the timing and quality of work produced. Using some of the new tools available with AI or software can help manage these issues and improve consistency and accuracy over time. I think we are in the early stages of implementing this, but I expect it will be the norm in the near future.

WTI is currently evaluating various software/AI solutions which would help us streamline the data collection process from underlying prospective and current portfolio companies. This data is used during the investment decision-making process and ongoing management of the underlying loan. The goal is to have a solution that reduces the manual labor associated with collecting and maintaining this information while improving accuracy and data analytic capabilities.

Managing financial risk while empowering innovation

Luke: Balancing risk management and innovation is crucial, particularly in the technology sector. Could you elaborate on your philosophy for managing financial risk while still fostering innovation and growth among your portfolio companies?

Jared: As mentioned previously, WTI has a collaborative approach to managing financial risk, which we believe is key to fostering innovation and growth among our portfolio companies. We provide our entrepreneurs flexibility in choosing how they deploy the capital – so they are the decision makers in determining the path that gives them the best opportunity to achieve their future milestones. As challenging situations arise, we work collaboratively with management to find suitable solutions. During this process, we evaluate a number of factors which include but aren’t limited to: industry sector, current market environment and current/future milestones made or missed.

Advice for future-ready CFOs

Luke: Lastly, what advice would you offer aspiring CFOs looking to thrive in today’s dynamic and rapidly changing business environment?

Jared: Spend time to assess your team’s capabilities and the systems you are currently using. Analyze those results to determine if there are key areas to improve efficiency, free up capacity and ultimately generate more effective data analytics.

Key takeaways

• Collaborative partnerships between finance leaders and company management foster better outcomes during both growth and challenging periods
• Giving teams autonomy, while staying ready to support, can drive stronger alignment and milestone achievement
• AI and automation are becoming essential for managing CFO responsibilities and increasing operational efficiency
• Early adoption of tech solutions enables faster, more accurate data collection and analytics for investment decisions and ongoing oversight
• Real-time visibility and integrated systems are essential to reduce manual work and empower more strategic use of finance teams’ time
• Strong financial controls don’t have to limit innovation—they can coexist by offering flexible guardrails and scenario-based risk assessments
• CFOs who regularly evaluate their teams and tech stack can unlock new efficiencies and generate more meaningful insights

Bringing it all together

CFOs today are no longer just stewards of the balance sheet—they’re strategic enablers. Jared Thear’s journey reminds us that success lies in building collaborative partnerships, embracing automation and staying agile in the face of change.

At PEX, we believe the same principles apply to expense management. When finance teams automate manual work, set clear spend controls and integrate real-time data, they unlock more than savings—they unlock time to lead.

Want to see how PEX can help your team drive efficiency and control? Get a personalized demo.