173. From Wall Street to Startups & the Importance of Taking Risks (w/Karthik Suresh)

Product Coffee

Karthik Suresh, founder of Ignition shares his unique journey in the world of technology and product strategy, from his early days on Wall Street to transitioning to the tech world during a recession. He reflects on his experiences at Craft and Facebook, highlighting the different nuances of operating as a Product Manager in startups versus large organisations, and the pivotal role of PMs in leadership. Karthik also discusses the evolution of his AI-powered product management platform, Ignition, and how it is changing the landscape of PM and PMM work along with the stumbling blocks he's encountered along the way.

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00:51 Karthik's Journey into the Tech World 01:13 Experiences in Wall Street and the Financial Crisis 02:50 Transition from Finance to Tech 03:49 Karthik's Startup Journey and Move to Facebook 05:30 The Birth of Ignition 06:27 The Importance of Taking Risks and Learning from Failures 14:09 The Differences Between Working in a Startup and a Big Company 23:36 Transition into Leadership 26:40 The Importance of Mission-Driven Teams 28:30 The Power of Motivation and Leadership 29:28 The Evolution of Leadership Roles 30:05 The Journey of Ignition: Building an AI-Powered Product Management Platform 32:23 The Role of Product Managers in Go-to-Market Strategy 40:52 The Challenges and Successes of Ignition 43:35 The Future of Product Management with AI 48:39 The Importance of Go-to-Market Plans for Product Managers 49:49 Final Thoughts and Advice for Product Managers

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