Calling Operator with Laura Nicol Ep 54. Betting On People with Mahesh Muralidhar
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:
- Read Mahesh's Substack
- David Hearnden
- Alexey Mitko
- Bec Jenkins
- Yani Hornilla Donato
- Mick Liubinskas (Pollenizer)
- Phil Morle (Pollenizer)
- Tim Fung
- Al Bentley
- Emer McCann
- Vincent Wei
- Mark Macleod-Smith
- Elise Peate
- Alexander Fala
- Melanie Perkins
- Cliff Obrecht
Guest ideas?
Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.
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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