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Matan Nice

Product Manager

Product builder with 4+ years taking complex, technical products from zero to one. Operates across the full product stack — from getting in the weeds with engineers on technical constraints to driving strategy with the CEO. Proven zero-to-one track record across early-stage startups: MVPs shipped, enterprise clients won, and $1.8M in non-dilutive funding secured.

Head of Product

@ PwrOn2025-11 – Present

Peer-to-peer energy network startup building an Airbnb-style marketplace for portable BESS.

Things I'm proud of:

  • Built 6+ rapid internal decision-making tools (homepage comparison, persona segmentation, ad copy testing) to compress team alignment from days to single sessions
  • Conducted host UX research through onboarding interviews and feedback sessions, directly informing product decisions and the B2B pivot
  • Built an outage detection and risk assessment platform integrating utility data, weather models (HRRR + ECMWF), and NOAA alerts — deployed with lead capture that drove 10 leads from first ad campaign

Product Manager

@ NakAI Robotics2022-06 – 2024-11

Israeli startup building AI-driven autonomous underwater robots for biofouling removal from ship hulls.

Things I'm proud of:

  • Defined system architecture and managed cross-functional execution across mechanical, embedded, and software teams (12 members across 3 teams)
  • Drove a key product pivot from in-transit to stationary cleaning approach — a strategic decision that significantly reduced GTM timeline and enabled the company's first international deployment
  • Led development of an AI-driven autonomous underwater robot from concept to MVP in five months, securing $100k in pilot revenue

Ski Patroller & Dispatch Operator

@ Crystal Mountain2021-10 – 2025-04

Major ski resort in Washington State with one of the premier ski patrol operations in the Pacific Northwest.

Things I'm proud of:

  • Led medical response and avalanche mitigation in alpine environments, balancing safety, risk, and multi-team coordination
  • Managed dispatch operations for weather forecasting and emergency response using weather models and real-time communications
  • Served as first responder in high-stakes scenarios including cardiac arrest and mountain rescue (crevasse extraction on Mt. Rainier)

Research Assistant

@ Fluidic Technologies Lab, Technion2019-10 – 2021-08

Technion research lab using thermocapillary physics to shape liquids into precision optical components.

Things I'm proud of:

  • Co-authored peer-reviewed publication: Eshel R et al, 'Programmable thermocapillary shaping of thin liquid films,' Flow, 2022;2:E27. doi:10.1017/flo.2022.17
  • Developed an inverse solver for programmable thin-film shaping using thermocapillary forces, comparing analytical models, experiments, and simulations
  • Designed and built custom experimental systems under resource constraints, translating theoretical models into working prototypes

Captain, Special Forces

@ Israel Defense Forces2008-09 – 2015-10

Israel's primary military force; Matan served as a commissioned officer in a Special Forces unit for 7 years.

Things I'm proud of:

  • Led cross-functional teams of 3–15 personnel in high-consequence, time-sensitive special operations over 7 years
  • Designed and delivered advanced technical and leadership training programs, mentoring 30+ personnel across diverse specialties
  • Managed multiple technical projects under intense time pressure, coordinating across 4+ departments to ensure on-time delivery

Education

  • B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering — Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (2021)
  • Certificate in Professional Chef Course — Danon Culinary Center (Cordon Bleu-recognized), Tel Aviv (2021)

Skills

Languages
Python, MATLAB, Spanish (Conversational), English (Native), Hebrew (Native)
Frameworks
Agile, Scrum, Design for Manufacturing (DFM), Lean Product Development
Tools
Monday.com, Notion, Zapier, n8n, Replit, Lovable, Windsurf, Claude Code, OpenClaw, Figma, SolidWorks, Fusion360, SimScale, Excel, Microsoft Office, Next.js, Supabase, Mapbox GL JS, OnX Backcountry, CalTopo, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Fathom, Calendly, Loom
Other
Product Roadmapping, System Architecture Definition, Cross-Functional Leadership, Grant Writing (EU & Israeli Innovation Authority), Technical Documentation, Stakeholder Management, CFD Analysis, Free Body Diagram / Physical Modeling, Data Analysis, Wind Tunnel Testing, Customer Discovery, Agile Sprint Planning, Patent Authoring, Conference Presentations, Peer-Reviewed Publication, AI-Assisted Coding, GIS Tools, Dispatch Operations, Emergency Medical Response, Avalanche Safety

Strengths

  • Radical simplification: cuts through complexity to identify the bare-minimum viable path, even when others over-engineer
  • Technical rigor and physical modeling: builds detailed, reality-anchored models and catches errors others miss (e.g., CFD simulation errors, incorrect structural analyses)
  • Cross-boundary ownership: proactively fills leadership gaps outside formal role scope (e.g., taking on business modeling and financial planning in a €15M EU grant proposal)
  • Productive confrontation: challenges assumptions with evidence and logic, maintaining high standards without creating destructive conflict
  • Extreme attention to detail: meticulous in written work, data analysis, and physical execution across all roles
  • Calm under pressure: enters 'machine mode' in high-stakes situations, suppressing emotion and operating rationally when others panic
  • Cross-functional translation: bridges communication gaps between engineering, business, and user perspectives; spots when parties are arguing past each other
  • Fast mathematical and analytical learning: grasps quantitative and technical domains faster than peers
  • Process optimization instinct: immediately identifies inefficiencies in new environments and drives toward streamlined solutions
  • Iterative mindset (evolved): transitioned from academic perfectionism to embracing fast iteration and learning from failure
  • Cross-timezone team coordination: managed a 10-hour time difference between the US and Israel while also serving a client in Florida, requiring efficient, high-bandwidth communication that respects everyone's daily routines

    • Values

    Mission over money — Matan consistently gravitates toward work that has real-world impact, particularly in sustainability and climate. He believes products only succeed when they are built around genuine user needs ('users own the truth'). He values team cohesion above process, believing that a great team will fix broken processes but a broken team will sink even a great product. He believes in building fast, iterating, and treating failure as feedback. He values honesty — including uncomfortable truths — in both feedback and self-assessment. Community and human connection are deeply important to him, even if he finds it harder to express in professional settings. He is driven by a desire to leave things better than he found them.

    Hobbies & Interests

    Skiing and ski patrolling (4 seasons at Crystal Mountain, WA), Mountaineering (including Mt. Rainier), Cooking (graduate of Cordon Bleu-recognized professional chef course), Community building and networking (active in MCJ Climate + Product community, Friends of Next Play, 9Zero), Podcasts (Lenny's Podcast, Stepchange, How I AI), AI and automation experimentation, Grid resilience and clean energy research, Outdoor adventure and backcountry navigation (CalTopo, OnX Backcountry)