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
Starting a Venture Capital Career with a Founder and CTO Mindset with Mistral’s Raif Barbaros
Episode 76. Those with careers in Venture Capital live an exciting life, trying to discover young founders who can create the next great product and company to drive incredible returns. In this episode of the Lifetime at Work podcast, Greg Martin interviews Raif Barbaros, a venture capital partner at Mistral Venture Partners.
Raif shares his journey from being a CTO and founder of various startups to becoming a venture capitalist. The conversation covers strategies for success in venture capital, the Canadian venture capital landscape compared to the US, and the importance of understanding market size and having founder empathy.
Raif also offers advice for young founders and aspiring tech professionals. The episode provides valuable insights into what it takes to thrive in the VC world and the tech industry.
- 00:00 Introduction to the Podcast
- 00:17 Guest Introduction: Raif Barbaros
- 01:37 Raif's Early Life and Career Beginnings
- 02:04 Transition to Canada and Early Career
- 05:02 Defining the Role of a CTO
- 08:51 Journey into Venture Capital
- 13:34 Mistral Venture Partners: Strategy and Differentiation
- 18:52 Investment Approach and Competition
- 24:38 Unexpected Funding Connections
- 25:28 Strategies for New VCs
- 26:20 Investment Focus and Background
- 28:18 The Long-Term Game of VC Compensation
- 34:07 The Role of a VC in a Startup
- 41:26 Advice for Aspiring Founders
- 44:26 Closing Remarks and Contact Information