ASW Connect: How to Build a Unicorn

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.

ASW Connect – About the Series

ASW Connect is a lead-up event series designed to bring founders, operators, investors, and ecosystem partners together ahead of Auckland Startup Week.

Auckland Startup Week is Aotearoa’s flagship celebration of entrepreneurship, showcasing the people and ideas shaping the future of innovation in New Zealand. ASW Connect helps set the tone for the main week by creating space for early connection, practical conversations, and shared learning in smaller, more accessible settings.

These sessions are about building relationships, surfacing real founder challenges, and helping the community get the most out of Auckland Startup Week in October — whether you’re new to the ecosystem or deeply involved in it already.