Stefano Virgilli is a Partner at Digital Wave Finance (DWF) Labs, an early-stage blockchain investment firm with a long-term partnership philosophy as the firm invests solely from its proprietary capital.
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1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your career background and current role?
My career could be described in 5-year cycles. I started quite early in sales mostly. At first I sold advertisements, then financial products. By 2001 I changes focus on web and graphic design, while I started exploring training.
As an Adobe Certified Expert and Adobe Certified Instructor I moved to Singapore around 2006. From 2007 to 2012 I managed a training centre, which turned out ot be one of my most successful businesses.
In 2012 I moved to Oman as General Manager of a holding mostly delivering IT and cybersecurity services to the Government. In 2017 I jumped on the crypto bandwagon with several roles.
In the past couple of year I have been working in finance, and that’s where I am at the moment, with DWF Labs, a web3 Venture Capital firm with focus on crypto trading and market making.
2) What does a day in your life look like for you? Can you take us through a recent workday?
I have been working remotely even before COVID started, so my work days are usually quite flexible. I wake up around 8:30 AM and do some stretching. Then I drink vitamins and coffee while reading the news.
After that I sit at my computer for the first batch of email and other messages, before jumping on the most pressing tasks. I usually take a break around 1PMNot always for lunch, because I do food fasting quite often.
In the afternoon I still sit at my computer until around 6PM, before my gym workout. In the evening, after dinner, I check my emails again one last time. Then I either play video games, music, chess, watch TV or meet friends in the evening.
3) Does your current role allow for flexible or remote working? If so, how does that fit into your life and routine?
I have been working remotely for so long that I would have a hard time adjusting to a full time office job. I would probably prefer to go hybrid for a bit before going back to an office job.

4) What does work-life balance mean to you and how do you work to achieve that goal?
It is not super important to me. I mean, I don’t want to work 24/7, but I also don’t mind keeping an eye on my computer every now and then, including in the evening and on the weekend.
5) In the past 12 months, have you started or stopped any routines or habits to change your life?
Yes, I pray and meditate frequently during the day, and observe 24 hours food fasting several times a week. Also, I follow a strict workout routine. These help me to stay balanced both physically and spiritually. I also invest in my intellectual growth by reading plenty of books.
6) Do you have any favourite books, podcasts or newsletters that you’d like to recommend?
I read a lot and listen to political podcasts all the time. In addition I follow some true crime channels on Youtube. When it comes to books, I tend to balance 1 non-fiction book every 3 or 4 novels.
7) Are there any products, gadgets or apps that you can’t live without?
My Onitsuka Tigers. It’s pretty much the only brand of shoes that I want to wear. I have many pairs in different colours. Love them.
8) If you could read an interview about work-life balance by anyone, who would that be?
I would be interested in reading work-life balance interviews with those hustlers that are working 24/7. I am curious to know if they ever burn out.
9) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?
I guess that in our society, the line between work and life has become so thin that it’s hard to tell when we are working and when we are not. Take a social media like instagram, that it’s supposed to be all about sharing lifestyle experiences, I am sure that many consider Instagram as work. There are, on the other hand, jobs like teacher for example, that are linked to very clearly defined on-off periods. I am sure they have a great work-life balance.
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