Episode 76: Starting a Venture Capital Career with a Founder and CTO Mindset with Mistral’s Raif Barbaros

Synopsis

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 Rafe Barbaros, a venture capital partner at Mistral Venture Partners.

Rafe 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.

Rafe 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

Background and Key Links

• Raif Barbaros is a Queens Universit y and UC Berkeley educated professional who began his career as a technical founder in several startups. He then moved into CTO roles at various companies including Loblaw Digital, Nuula, Influitive and MavenSay

• In 2022 he joined the Canadian venture capital firm Mistral Venture Partners as an investor

• Find Raif on Linked-In