Laura Nicol dials into Mahesh Muralidhar.

From day one, Mahesh has been obsessed with making a difference. He was early in Sydney’s startup scene in the 2010s post-MBA—first chasing his own idea, then finding impact (and peace) in helping others build.

What followed? A career that reads like three lifetimes in one.

Inside:

The romantic, messy-beautiful beginnings of Sydney’s startup scene.
That nagging fear you’ve “missed the boat” in tech. Spoiler: the boat’s still boarding.
The through-line of his career: founder > operator > investor > political candidate.
Building customer intuition and products people love.
Betting on people. Building trust. Understanding incentives. Getting obsessed with winning.
Spotting great talent—and coaching them like a pro sports manager.
Mahesh's founder story at Ureferjobs (a job referral marketplace)—why it didn’t land and the fateful “choosing Canva” moment.
Operating inside early Canva, Airtasker, and Simply Wall St (from Head of People Ops to VP to COO).
Phase One: why he’s convinced New Zealand founders can build world-changing companies with the right “been there, done that” support.
The current chapter: “I want to make New Zealand a significantly happier place".

Also mentioned:

Guest ideas?

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A note from your host, Laura:

My goal for Calling Operator is to open-source stories from startup operators across various functional areas and learn how they excel at building and scaling companies. As a Chief of Staff, I often find myself in (virtual) rooms with people facing similar challenges and reinventing the wheel. I want this podcast to open a line for operators across Australia and New Zealand to learn from fellow operators. Each episode shares personal stories, the execution behind big ideas, career-defining moments, successes, failures, and lessons.

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Ep 54. Betting On People with Mahesh Muralidhar