Product Management Meets Entrepreneurship – with Malte Scholz (CEO, CPO & Founder airfocus)

Honest Insights and Surprising Lessons from the Founding Story of airfocus

In the seventh episode of the PRODUKTKRAFT Podcast, I talk to Malte Scholz, CEO, CPO, and founder of the Hamburg-based product management software company airfocus, about the connection between product management and entrepreneurship. Malte shares his experience and offers insights into the challenges and lessons he has picked up along the way.

A central theme of the conversation is the role of product managers as potential founders. We pick up the idea of the “product person as CEO of the product,” which is of course particularly interesting given Malte’s dual role, and discuss why entrepreneurial thinking matters for every PM. Another focus is how teams in product development are put together. Malte explains why and how airfocus worked successfully with product duos instead of trios for a long time. Beyond these questions of craft, we also talk about internationalization: What problems does a home bias create for startups and in product management? When is the right time to look beyond your national market?

Have a listen to hear Malte’s valuable insights into where product management and entrepreneurship meet, and to take away useful ideas for your own work as digital product managers or designers.