Beyond the Tech: Product Thinking for deeptech success| Mile Kirby

In this season finale, we are joined by Miles Kirby, CEO of Deep Tech Labs in Cambridge, UK. It is a true privilege to have Miles on the show as he shares insights from his incredible career spanning both sides of the Atlantic, transforming innovative ideas into successful products that generate millions of dollars in revenue. Before Deep Tech Labs, Miles was the Managing Director of AV8 Ventures. This was a €150 million fund that focused on early-stage investments in cutting-edge technologies like mobility, big data, AI, digital health, and cybersecurity. He also led technology investments at Oxford Capital, where his portfolio included companies like UltraSoC (acquired by Siemens) and Latent Logic (acquired by Waymo). His time at Qualcomm Ventures, a $500 million corporate fund, gave him a unique understanding of how to find and support promising startups. At Qualcomm, Miles not only managed a big investment portfolio but also started an internal incubator and led the company's work in augmented reality, wireless charging, and machine learning, resulting in 34 patents. He also has practical experience in creating and leading product management teams for mobile phones and display groups at Qualcomm. In this conversation, we will explore Miles's vast experience and discuss the details of product management in the world of deep tech. We'll go beyond the basics and talk about the changing roles within deep tech startups and the different product management cultures in the US and Europe. We explore : ● Why "Product Management Thinking" Matters: Understand why having a product management mindset from the start is crucial for success in deep tech, even for small teams. ● The common misconceptions around the product management function, particularly in the European context, and why it's about more than just project management. ● The key differences between product management in software versus deep tech, emphasizing the need to align the technology development roadmap with the product roadmap. ● How product management should evolve as a company grows, and the different ways this function can be fulfilled depending on the startup's stage and the founder's background. ● The importance of focus for early-stage companies and why pursuing every opportunity can lead to spreading resources too thin. ● Whether startups should aim to be acquired or build for growth, and how to position themselves for success in either scenario. Book Suggestions: While Miles doesn't recommend a specific book, he finds Harvard Business cases particularly useful due to their practical nature and real-world applications. He appreciates the learning-by-doing aspect of these cases, where you can analyze a situation, formulate a strategy, and then compare it with the actual outcome. Read them here: https://store.hbr.org/case-studies/?ab=store_hp_nav_-_cases