Building Trust in Venture Capital: Leadership When No One Is Watching with Victor Orlovski

What does real trust look like when pressure hits, incentives shift, and no one is watching?

In this episode, venture capitalist Victor Orlovski, founder of R136 Ventures and host of Ventures from the Valley, shares the raw reality of trust in the high-stakes world of startup investing. After backing a promising European startup through years of growth and nearly closing a major acquisition, Victor watched helplessly as the founders executed a legal but devastating betrayal.

He reveals how that experience influenced his entire approach to venture capital, shifting his focus from metrics and technology to the character of the people behind the pitch. This conversation explores the delicate balance between authority and democracy in leadership, why consistency matters more than personality type, and what truly happens in the room when you're not there.

What You’ll Learn:

• The three components that define trust in any relationship or business.
• Why venture capital still requires a human intermediary despite technological advances.
• How to spot red flags in founders who oversell or avoid discussing their biggest challenges.
• Why consistency in leadership matters more than leadership style.
• How organizational culture directly mirrors founder behavior (whether they're present or not).
• The difference between legal and ethical behavior in business partnerships.

Ideas Worth Sharing:

• "Trust is where you withdraw yourself and people keep behaving like you are in the room." - Victor Orlovski
• “What comes first is awareness. People should know about you. Then second, people should trust you. And then—only then—you can really get what you want: money. So many founders start from the reverse order. They try to get money without establishing awareness and trust. And I think that's very important.” - Victor Orlovski
• "I'm not going to invest in a founder who exaggerates and who doesn't really have real good answers to his most challenging matters... If a founder is telling me how great things are, probably my desire to invest will diminish." - Victor Orlovski

Resources:

• R136 Ventures
• Ventures from The Valley

About Victor Orlovski:

Victor Orlovski is the founder and managing partner of R136 Ventures, an investment firm focused on mid-and-late-stage startups across the U.S., Israel, and Dubai. With decades of experience in venture capital and technology, Victor has led investments across fintech and enterprise platforms and is also the host of the Ventures from the Valley podcast, where he explores leadership, trust, and building companies for the long term.

Connect with Victor:

LinkedIn: Victor Orlovski

Connect with Anne:

LinkedIn: Anne Claessen

Connect With Us

If you enjoyed this episode, follow The Rise and Fall of Trust wherever you get your podcasts. And if you’re thinking about launching a podcast that builds trust and drives results, that’s our jam. Schedule a free call at Cashflow Podcasting to learn more.