There and Back Again- From PM to Founder and Back

What happens when product leaders cross into founder mode, step into the venture world, and come back with a different lens?

Join
– Hari Gopal, Director of Corporate Insights at Engage,
– Kent Keirsey, Director of Product Management at Adobe, and
– Steve Engdahl, Head of Product at Systech

for a candid conversation about what carries over, what breaks, and what changes when you move between product, startups, and investing.

Kent has lived the operator-to-founder-to-product-leader path, including building a company that was acquired by Adobe. Hari brings a PM-gone-VC perspective from the Atlanta startup scene. Steve has seen the product journey from just about every angle: venture-backed, public, privately held, and his own startup.

✅ What product work actually prepares you for founderhood
✅ What founders learn that can make them sharper, more decisive PMs
✅ What surprises both sides, and how those lessons show up back in the day-to-day work

This is not startup mythology or polished career advice. It’s a real conversation about the skills, tradeoffs, and perspective shifts that come with building from different seats. Join product people from around the world who care about building what matters.