Particle: VP of Product
Particle is a complete IoT platform, including the predictable PaaS layer but also the hardware, firmware, and management components necessary to provide a true solution for connected devices.
I joined Particle as the seventh employee, just as the company (then called Spark IO) was closing series A funding and was the first hire in California. During my tenure, I coordinated and launched multiple complex products integrating hardware, software, WiFi protocols, and cellular protocols. I had a wide purview that included:
- Launches: Enterprise platform, fleet management, cellular service, two flagship hardware lines- Photon and Electron
- Leadership: Oversaw hardware, firmware, API design, iOS and Android apps, IDE, fleet management, cellular MVNO service. Guided engineers and grew the team.
- Sales: Onsite pitches with key clients, worked with SEs to create targeted demos, integrated learnings from sales team into product roadmap, identified decision makers
- Customer Solutions: Kept a tight feedback loop between Support, Success and Product teams, prioritizing issues and features to most effectively gain and keep customers
- Growth: Grew the community from 10,000 to 130,000 users, hired 40 new employees, raised $30 million, rebranded to Particle
I maintained a Net Promoter Score of 75+, using 30-day trailing polling. Particle was valued at $150M+ in 2017.
As nights-and-weekends side projects I developed the Internet Button with all its electronics design, supporting libraries, and packaging; created the design on the back of the Photon; did most of the product photography; and created the much-beloved packaging for the Electron and Photon.
