Karan Patel

About Karan Patel

I’m a product manager with a background in Mechanical Engineering (Berkeley/Michigan) and Marketing, Strategy and Data Analytics (Northwestern Kellogg). I build products where hardware, software, and services all have to work together to solve a customer problem.Most products fail not because the tech is bad, but because the ecosystem around them is an afterthought. I build the \"whole product.\" That means designing the core features, the onboarding workflows, the support models, and the GTM strategy required to make it actually work for the customer.I spend a lot of time in the field with users to find the friction points. I use that data to make the hard trade-offs between technical feasibility and customer value. Whether I’m managing a global engineering team or talking to enterprise accounts, my goal is to turn messy requirements into a roadmap that scales.A few things I\'ve built:1. Software & Operations (Amazon): Developed an automated coaching platform for 1M+ sellers. By pairing the product with a new phone-support program, we reduced seller issues by 30%.2. Global Ecosystems (Bosch): Managed an $18M global hardware/software portfolio. I launched four major products and built the onboarding, warranty, and support programs that tripled the division\'s annual revenue.3. 0-to-1 Execution (Founder): Built a residential energy platform from scratch, handling everything from service prototyping and regulatory hurdles to field-testing with early customers.I recently moved on from my startup because, while I love building from scratch, I love operating at scale with smart, passionate, diverse people. If you’re building complex systems and need someone who speaks both \"Engineering\" and \"Customer,\" let’s talk.

Experience

1. Senior Product Manager

   Carbon Robotics

   Apr 2026 — Present · Seattle, WA, US

   Senior Product Manager driving product strategy for AI-powered robotics in agriculture. Working across hardware, software, and autonomy to build products that solve real problems for farmers at scale.

Education

• University of Michigan

  Bachelor's Degree, Mechanical Engineering

  2010 — 2014

• University of California, Berkeley

  Master’s Degree, Mechanical Engineering (Product Design)

  2014 — 2015

• Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management

  Master of Business Administration - MBA, Marketing, Strategy, Data Analytics

  2018 — 2021

• Shanghai Jiao Tong University

  Study Abroad, Mechanical Engineering

  2011 — 2011

Skills

• Product Design
• Finite Element Analysis
• Design for Manufacturing
• Ansys
• Engineering Design
• Thermodynamics
• Microsoft Office
• Testing
• Engineering
• Matlab
• Solid Mechanics
• Solidworks
• Simulations
• Cad
• Simulink
• Fluid Mechanics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Unigraphics
• Labview
• Hypermesh
• Ptc Pro/Engineer