What does it really take to build a high-growth, globally competitive startup?

In this candid, high-impact talk, Mahesh Muralidhar — one of the first 25 team members at Canva and now CEO of Phase One Ventures — breaks down the core ingredients behind world-class startups. Drawing from firsthand experience scaling Canva from just 25 people to over 300, and backing dozens of Kiwi founders through Phase One (where 85% have raised institutional capital), Mahesh shares what separates enduring startups from the rest.

You’ll walk away with practical frameworks and hard-earned insights across:

Product: How to build something your customers truly love
Team: What makes a founding team click — and endure
Capital: How to raise the right capital, at the right time, from the right investors
Growth: Why 5% week-on-week growth is the bar — and how to reach it

We’ll also share lessons from some of the most exciting Kiwi startups including VXT, Extraordinary, NextWork and Ivo.ai — all on the journey to scale globally.