Kunal Kataria : Building Scalable, Human Centric Technology Ecosystems
Kunal Kataria
Ex-Chief Product Officer
As a founding member at two startups, he has successfully led product strategies across B2B, B2C, and B2B2C segments, scaling teams from five to fifty-five members and overseeing connected hardware deploy- ments exceeding 200,000 devices. Under his stewardship, the companies grew from a valuation of $0.6 million to $50 million, highlighting his ability to translate innovative ideas into tangible business outcomes.
Kunal’s contributions have earned global recognition, with products receiving prestigious accolades such as the CES Innovation Award, European Product Design Award (EPDA), and India’s Best Design Award. Additionally, he has worked on over 40 patents in IoT and connected hardware systems, reflecting his commitment to pioneering technology solutions. His expertise lies at the intersection of hardware, software, and design, enabling him to transform early-stage concepts into scalable, market-ready products.
Passionate about building impactful technology and mentoring the next generation of engineers and product leaders, Kunal brings a holistic, practical perspective to product strategy and end-to-end development. His journey exemplifies the evolving role of product managers in India, not only as drivers of innovation but also as architects of future-ready technology ecosystems. Let’s read.
What are the biggest lessons you have acquired over the years in your professional journey? How have these experiences shaped your leadership approach?
I’ve been a maker since I was nine, but one key lesson I’ve learned is that skills alone don’t create great products, curiosity, resilience, and empathy do.
Early on, I tried to master everything, electronics, coding, design, business, but that only slowed me down. Real growth came when I learned to ask the right questions, involve the right people, and trust their expertise.
Trust has become the cornerstone of my leadership, it’s essential across teams, customers, and stakeholders. Today, I focus on creating environments where people feel empowered to experiment, fail, and learn. My role isn’t to be the smartest in the room, but to enable others to do their best work and achieve remarkable outcomes together.
How do you foster a culture of innovation and experimentation within your product organization?
I foster innovation by empowering the team to create, experiment, and fail without getting bogged down by bureaucracy. Approvals are limited to a few key stakeholders, allowing us to move quickly and build a maker’s culture where iteration is part of daily work.
For hardware, where cycles are slower, in all my previous orgs, we try to ensure that teams have hands-on access to the right tools and infrastructure needed to prototype and test ideas efficiently and encourage learning beyond one’s domain. I mentor team members to build confidence and accelerate learning, helping them make better decisions.
By supporting engineers, designers, and operations when they’re stuck, I ensure they feel empowered and motivated, enabling rapid problem-solving, experimentation, and continuous improvement across the organization.
I’ve been a maker since I was nine, but one key lesson I’ve learned is that skills alone don’t create great products, curiosity, resilience, and empathy do.
Early on, I tried to master everything, electronics, coding, design, business, but that only slowed me down. Real growth came when I learned to ask the right questions, involve the right people, and trust their expertise.
Trust has become the cornerstone of my leadership, it’s essential across teams, customers, and stakeholders. Today, I focus on creating environments where people feel empowered to experiment, fail, and learn. My role isn’t to be the smartest in the room, but to enable others to do their best work and achieve remarkable outcomes together.
I envision a future where technology empowers creative problem-solving instead of adding complex
How do you foster a culture of innovation and experimentation within your product organization?
I foster innovation by empowering the team to create, experiment, and fail without getting bogged down by bureaucracy. Approvals are limited to a few key stakeholders, allowing us to move quickly and build a maker’s culture where iteration is part of daily work.
For hardware, where cycles are slower, in all my previous orgs, we try to ensure that teams have hands-on access to the right tools and infrastructure needed to prototype and test ideas efficiently and encourage learning beyond one’s domain. I mentor team members to build confidence and accelerate learning, helping them make better decisions.
By supporting engineers, designers, and operations when they’re stuck, I ensure they feel empowered and motivated, enabling rapid problem-solving, experimentation, and continuous improvement across the organization.
What are your anticipations of upcoming technology developments in the market?
The big topic everyone’s discussing is AI, but beyond the hype, I see tremendous growth in electronics and IoT. AI relies on data, yet much digital data lacks the richness of real-world, physical information. IoT will become critical as the backbone for capturing sensor data, usage patterns, environmental factors, and human interactions.
This surge in connected devices will drive massive demand for IoT-based solutions. Global shifts, like the China+1 strategy, are also opening new opportunities for hardware manufacturing and supply chains. I believe this phase is ideal for entrepreneurs to create meaningful AI-IoT integrations that solve real-world problems, take risks, and innovate beyond the buzz.
Tell us about your future vision.
I envision a future where technology empowers creative problem-solving instead of adding complexity. My focus is on building product ecosystems that enable teams to deliver solutions that are reliable, human-centric, and accessible. My goal is to shape the next generation of connected devices that streamline everyday workflows while honoring user autonomy and environmental responsibility, with a strong emphasis on real-world work environments. I want to contribute to redefining product development, placing empathy, experimentation, and purpose at the center, so that technology serves people, not the other way around.
Kunal Kataria, Ex-Chief Product Officer, Proxgy
Kunal Kataria is an award-winning product leader and Ex-Chief Product Officer at Proxgy, with over eight years of experience in IoT, wearables, hardware, SaaS, and consumer electronics. A founding member at two startups, he has scaled teams, products, and valuations while working on 40+ patents and driving global product innovation.
Awards & Recognition:
•CES Innovation Award, EPDA (European Product Design Award), India’s Best Design Award, and several others for product excellence and design innovation
The big topic everyone’s discussing is AI, but beyond the hype, I see tremendous growth in electronics and IoT. AI relies on data, yet much digital data lacks the richness of real-world, physical information. IoT will become critical as the backbone for capturing sensor data, usage patterns, environmental factors, and human interactions.
This surge in connected devices will drive massive demand for IoT-based solutions. Global shifts, like the China+1 strategy, are also opening new opportunities for hardware manufacturing and supply chains. I believe this phase is ideal for entrepreneurs to create meaningful AI-IoT integrations that solve real-world problems, take risks, and innovate beyond the buzz.
Tell us about your future vision.
I envision a future where technology empowers creative problem-solving instead of adding complexity. My focus is on building product ecosystems that enable teams to deliver solutions that are reliable, human-centric, and accessible. My goal is to shape the next generation of connected devices that streamline everyday workflows while honoring user autonomy and environmental responsibility, with a strong emphasis on real-world work environments. I want to contribute to redefining product development, placing empathy, experimentation, and purpose at the center, so that technology serves people, not the other way around.
Kunal Kataria, Ex-Chief Product Officer, Proxgy
Kunal Kataria is an award-winning product leader and Ex-Chief Product Officer at Proxgy, with over eight years of experience in IoT, wearables, hardware, SaaS, and consumer electronics. A founding member at two startups, he has scaled teams, products, and valuations while working on 40+ patents and driving global product innovation.
Awards & Recognition:
•CES Innovation Award, EPDA (European Product Design Award), India’s Best Design Award, and several others for product excellence and design innovation