Managing Products at Early-Stage Startups

4.8 (13)

·

3 Weeks

·

Cohort-based Course

Develop your most important product skills, gain confidence, and take your product team to the next level

Founders and product people formerly at

Microsoft
Google
Ceridian
Stripe
Wikimedia Foundation

Course overview

Do any of these seem familiar?

Do you work with (or are) a cofounder leading product in a small startup (10-100 people) or a product line in a bigger company?


Do you feel you are facing daunting expectations to build and deliver? And you are not sure you'll be able to meet them?


Do you question if you know what you need to succeed? and feel the need to learn what “excellent” looks like fast?


Do you think you are not getting great results fast enough? Can you clearly define success and chart a path to it?


Do you feel the need to figure out where to start and make things better fast?


Do you have a new project that you need to plan and deliver?


Are you new to your role and need some expert guidance?




If two or more of these statements apply to you, this course will help you.



Imagine if you could:


✅ Identify your biggest challenges and problems when it comes to your product and team


✅ Learn how to plan and act following product management best practices


✅ Build your confidence and your skills so you can make changes that make a difference


✅ Understand the product management maturity models and take yours to the next level



🔥 All alumni have the opportunity to join our private community with their peers and growth opportunities!

Who is this course for

01

Cofounders and product leaders responsible for product and engineering teams at companies with 10-100 employees

02

New product managers and leaders working with small teams who want to fast-track their impact and career growth

03

Non-product people (e.g., engineers, designers, marketers) who need to act as the product person to cover for a gap on the team

What you’ll get out of this course

Understand the holistic modern product process for startups at various stages (Seed to Series B)

Learn over 20 product frameworks developed and used by top organizations like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Stanford, but adapted for startups.

Create a plan to get closer to product market fit using best practices, frameworks, and models

Evaluate your biggest challenges and create a plan using frameworks related to Product Discovery, Prioritization, and Development to get to Product Market Fit.

Start your highest impact actions based on your current challenges and circumstances

You'll expand your horizons and see the big picture more clearly. Then achieve quick wins to increase your impact and reduce stress and doubt

Gain multiple high-impact insights for yourself, your product, and your team

You will have multiple "aha" moments where you learn better ways you and your team can do things. Instead of many theories, take the few with the highest value

Learn the fundamental skills of great product people

Understand the skills great product managers need and identify your next step

Learn where and how AI can help

Learn how to use AI (e.g., v0, Replit, Claude, ChatGPT) to improve your speed and quality of your work to get results faster

This course includes

5 interactive live sessions

Lifetime access to course materials

22 in-depth lessons

Direct access to instructor

4 projects to apply learnings

Guided feedback & reflection

Private community of peers

Course certificate upon completion

Maven Satisfaction Guarantee

This course is backed by Maven’s guarantee. You can receive a full refund within 14 days after the course ends, provided you meet the completion criteria in our refund policy.

Course syllabus

Week 1

Feb 24—Mar 2

    Feb

    27

    Session 1: Product Principles for Startups

    Thu 2/275:00 PM—6:30 PM (UTC)

    Starting with the Customer

    7 items

    Frameworks on Building Successful Products

    3 items • Free preview

    AI for Product Managers and Leaders

    4 items

Week 2

Mar 3—Mar 9

    Mar

    4

    Optional Coaching + Q&A (Session 1)

    Tue 3/45:30 PM—6:30 PM (UTC)
    Optional

    Mar

    6

    Session 2: Choosing Your Priorities

    Thu 3/65:00 PM—6:30 PM (UTC)

    Solving the Right Problem for the Right Customers

    3 items

    Essential Product Management Skills

    2 items • Free preview

Week 3

Mar 10—Mar 16

    Mar

    11

    Optional Coaching + Q&A (Session 2)

    Tue 3/114:30 PM—5:30 PM (UTC)
    Optional

    Mar

    13

    Session 3: Define and Measure Success Through Outcomes and Data

    Thu 3/134:00 PM—5:30 PM (UTC)

    Best Practices and Frameworks in Building Products

    6 items

    What are your best resources beyond the course?

    1 item

4.8 (13 ratings)

What students are saying

What people are saying

        This course goes through the key fundamentals of what Product is today in its many flavors. David's teaching style is clear, engaging, and thoughtful! If you're interested in figuring out if Product is for you or what type of Product role is for you, then this course is a perfect launchpad.
Alam

Alam

Product Manager at Ceridian
        Very helpful course and a lot of useful and pragmatic information around Product Management, what it entails, how it varies in different structures (small startups to big orgs). David took the time to get to know the students and used our industries throughout the examples to make sure the information is digested better.
Noosh

Noosh

Product Lead, Toronto Dominion Bank
        Since the cohort was so small, it was very interactive and we had the ability to steer conversations to topics we could gain the most out of based on our experience.
Shania

Shania

Associate Consultant
        David's enthusiasm and engagement with the students created a great learning environment for us.
Siwei

Siwei

Junior Software Developer

Meet your instructor

David Jorjani

David Jorjani

3x Head of Product (2 Acquired), U of Toronto Instructor, Organizational Coach

David is a seasoned product leader with 15+ years of experience going from a team of one to leading product teams at Fortune 500 after acquisition. His career spans roles from founding engineer to VP of Product, culminating in two successful startup acquisitions under his product leadership.


He has advised founders and teams at Techstars, Founder Institute, Startup Weekend, and the University of Toronto.


He is also an On Deck Founder Fellow, Pear VC Founder Circles Member, Certified Organizational Coach, empowering product leaders at Fortune 500 companies, early-stage entrepreneurs, and recent graduates to navigate the complexities of product management and entrepreneurship.


He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto.


He is working on a new venture to effective product engineering teams.

A pattern of wavy dots

Join an upcoming cohort

Managing Products at Early-Stage Startups

Feb 2025

$290

Dates

Feb 24—Mar 16, 2025

Application Deadline

Feb 23, 2025

Course schedule

2-6 hours per week (optional projects)

  • Asynchronous Weekly Project & Workbook

    1-5 hours per week

    • Readings and learning material
    • Self-paced personal projects to apply what you learn
  • Weekly Workshops

    See schedule

    • 1 hour class + 30 minute Q&A
  • Q&A Sessions

    1 hour

    We work on what's most important to help you move forward. We can review your projects together and set you on your way to success.

Free resource

Course Contents

Get a better sense of the topics may cover to have a better sense of what we will be learning and practicing together.


Every cohort is different based the students' needs.

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Tailored Learning To Your Needs

Tailored Learning To Your Needs

Personalized Content

We don't boil the ocean of knowledge. We focus on what you need to go to the next level.

Complete Overview

Get familiar with the world of product management in weeks rather than putting the pieces together in years.

Active Learning

You shape the course. You participate, bring challenges, ask questions, apply learnings, and get feedback.

Frequently Asked Questions

Get a taste for free

Sign up to get free resources and lessons on best practices

A pattern of wavy dots

Join an upcoming cohort

Managing Products at Early-Stage Startups

Feb 2025

$290

Dates

Feb 24—Mar 16, 2025

Application Deadline

Feb 23, 2025

$290

4.8 (13)

·

3 Weeks