Product Management: Startup vs. Bigco

In this panel, startup product leaders share how they work and explore how their work differs from product roles in large companies. The conversation will explore how rapid product iterations works in a startup setting, where the team defines, designs, develops, and launches new products and services without being constrained by legacy products or an existing customer base.

Panelists will discuss how startup product teams operate with lighter, right-sized processes that can be fast-moving, informal, and occasionally chaotic, while still staying grounded in product thinking. Students will gain a clear view of how product roles are implemented in a startup environment–and how those skills translate across career paths.

Confirmed speakers:

• Ned Carson, A22, Co-Founder and Former Head of Product at Markit AI, a texting platform built for creators to engage fans, monetize content, and build their business; currently Product at Palantir.
• Alex Ocampo, A14, Entrepreneurship Minor, Founder & CEO of Ganance, a startup behind a modular wearable that makes every watch a smartwatch.
• Eric Olson, Assistant Director of Product at Center for Open Science, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting open science practices in research. 
• Xiao Zhou, MSIM ’23, Founder of HIPOND, a startup that helps international students and newcomers to a city furnish their spaces.
• Anica Zulch, A23, Product Manager, Quantified AI, a startup that provides an AI role play solutions for sales teams.

This is an Inside the Classroom event hosted by Professor Elaine Chen, who teaches ENT162 Bringing Product to Market at Tufts University.