Lifetime at Work: Finding the Meaning in Our Careers
Your career is more than just a job—it’s a chance to create an impact and find personal fulfillment. This podcast explores the journeys of business leaders, uncovering how work shapes our lives, the world, and what makes a career truly meaningful.
Hosted by Greg Martin, a Toronto-based investment banker and M&A advisor, the show dives into the deeper questions behind our careers—why we work, what drives success, and how our professional lives shape the world around us. In an era of AI, career freedom, and globalization, the meaning of work is evolving, leaving many to question its true purpose.
Through conversations with founders, business leaders, and investors across private equity, public markets, and venture capital, the podcast uncovers insights from those who have built, grown, and influenced some of North America's most successful companies. It also features advisors, consultants, and investment bankers who help shape the future of business, sharing lessons from their wins, losses, and defining career moments.
Lifetime at Work: Finding the Meaning in Our Careers
A Wild Ride on Venture Capital and Mushrooms with Adam DeMartino
Episode 71. In this episode of the Lifetime at Work podcast, host Greg Martin interviews Adam DeMartino, co-founder of the once very hot venture capital backed mushroom startup called Smallhold.
DeMartino shares his entrepreneurial journey to get him to starting Smallhold, from discovering his love for early stage business, to the highs of raising significant venture capital and facing the challenges that led to the company's bankruptcy and restructuring.
They discuss the intricacies of mushroom farming, the impact of venture capital, and the values that drive DeMartino's work. This candid conversation offers insights and lessons for current and aspiring entrepreneurs as they question what it means to be successful and to fail.
- 00:00 Introduction to the Podcast
- 00:17 Meet Adam DiMartino
- 00:19 The Rise and Fall of Smallhold
- 01:34 Adam's Journey Before Smallhold
- 06:07 The Birth of Smallhold
- 06:16 Adam's Motorcycle Adventure
- 10:44 Entrepreneurial Spirit and Family Influence
- 12:56 Building the Mushroom Business
- 15:13 Scaling Up and Seeking Investment
- 26:25 Expanding to the Texas Market
- 26:49 Pandemic Accelerates Growth
- 27:08 Mushroom Kits: A Pandemic Success
- 29:06 Building Farms in Texas and New York
- 29:31 Facing Bankruptcy and Reorganization
- 32:42 Lessons from the Journey
- 38:09 The Importance of Fungi
- 43:24 Advice for Young Entrepreneurs
- 47:42 The Power of Mushrooms
- 49:04 Conclusion and Final Thoughts