Product Strategy

Arjé Cahn
Jul 15, 2024
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My Journey in Product Strategy Mentoring

My passion lies in helping Impact Tech and B2B SaaS startups achieve growth and success. I do this by mentoring founders and leveraging my extensive experience in product strategy. In addition to my mentoring services, I am an angel investor, a partner at Shamrock Ventures, and a wannabe forest ranger.

My Background and Experience

As a tech-founder-turned-Silicon-Valley-CPO, I’ve learned the intricate art of building and growing exceptional software products, assembling highly effective product teams, and delivering tangible business results. Along this journey, I’ve made numerous mistakes and witnessed the failure of great ideas and products. These experiences have given me a keen instinct for identifying potential product pitfalls.

Over the years, I’ve developed a knack for recognizing and avoiding common product mistakes. I enjoy coaching founders on product strategy, guiding them from feature-function-based roadmaps to those that effectively scale the business. My approach is rooted in the belief that product strategy should ultimately drive business metrics.

My Approach

Having studied and practiced nearly every product management book, framework, and tool, I’ve identified a few favorites that I use during workshop sessions with startups. These tools help founders refine their product strategies and focus on business growth.

As a former tech founder, I relate to the technical aspects of product development but maintain a steadfast belief that product strategy must drive business success.

Where I’m Coming From

  • Education: Studied Artificial Intelligence back in 1997, a time some would like to call the "prehistoric era" of AI.

  • Early Career: Co-founded Hippo in 1999 with Jeroen Verberg and Tjeerd Brenninkmeijer, serving as the CTO.

  • Growth: Grew Hippo to over 100 FTEs, with offices in Amsterdam, Boston, and San Francisco.

  • Acquisition: Hippo was acquired by Silicon Valley-based Bloomreach in 2016.

  • Silicon Valley: Relocated to the Palo Alto area and took on the role of Chief Product Officer.

  • Fundraising and Expansion: Part of the executive team that raised $150 million and acquired a major CDP company in 2021.

  • Bloomreach Growth: Contributed to Bloomreach's growth to a $2 billion+ valuation and an 800+ FTE team by 2022.

  • Current Endeavors: Transitioned to an angel investor and mentor, while also maintaining the family forest estate.

  • Shamrock Ventures: Became a founding partner of Shamrock Ventures in 2022.

  • Media: Launched the ? TECH://Save.My.World newsletter in 2024

Why I Mentor

I mentor because I believe in the transformative power of great product strategy. By sharing my experiences, both successes and failures, I aim to help founders navigate the complex landscape of product development. My goal is to empower them to build products that not only solve real problems but also drive significant business growth.

If you're a founder looking to refine your product strategy and scale your business, I'd love to connect and see how we can work together to achieve your goals.