Product Growth
Product Growth Podcast
How to PM with AI at Early Stage Startups | Fractional CPO and CTO, Sergio Pereira
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How to PM with AI at Early Stage Startups | Fractional CPO and CTO, Sergio Pereira

Here’s everything you need to know about mastering product leadership at early-stage startups, building scalable products, and thriving as a Fractional CPO powered by AI.

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube.

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Today’s Episode

So far on the Product Growth Podcast, you’ve heard from founders, big tech PMs, and unicorn product minds on what it takes to build a great product.

Today, we’re bringing you a fresh perspective — from an operator who’s deep in the trenches, building products for multiple companies and startups as a Fractional CTO and CPO.

But that’s not all; he’s also a founder, offering us the unique opportunity to hear different perspectives from the same person.

What makes this episode even more exciting?

He’s been honing his craft for 15 years, working across industries, collaborating with diverse teams, and doing it all at the same time.

We’re covering:

  1. Compensation of an Early-Stage Startup PM – 00:32:05

  2. Mistakes Early-Stage PMs Make – 00:59:51

  3. Honest Opinions on Scrum – 01:22:16

  4. How Should PMs Use AI Tools? – 01:48:31

  5. How He Manages Time to Do It All – 02:03:57


Here are the Key Takeaways

Here are the 5 key takeaways from Sergio’s Journey:

1. Startup’s Success Hinges on Shifting Gears: Pre and Post Product-Market Fit

Startups thrive when they adapt to the drastically different demands of pre and post product-market fit.

Pre-product-market fit is all about experimentation. 

Teams need to pivot quickly and focus on trying different ideas until one sticks. 

He shared that during this phase, his time as a fractional CTO was often consumed by product work.

Sometimes spending weeks talking to clients, joining sales meetings, or collaborating on marketing campaigns.

However, post product-market fit is an entirely different game.

The focus shifts to scaling and optimizing, which is where hiring a product manager becomes essential. 

This helps CTOs avoid spreading themselves too thin and allows for a clearer division of responsibilities, ultimately driving the startup forward.

2. “Figuring Out” Attitude is The Common Trait of Exceptional PMs

In the chaos of early-stage startups, a great product manager doesn’t just understand the product…

They embody adaptability, resilience, and a deep connection to the industry. 

Their industry expertise cuts down onboarding time, helping the team avoid steep learning curves.

For example, in fintech, he looks for PMs who understand key integrations like KYC, bank aggregation, or credit checks, allowing them to hit the ground running. 

This stresses the importance of adaptability, where startups often mistake seasonal spikes for sustained product-market fit. 

To navigate these ups and downs and thrive in such condition, a great PM must:

  • Have Cross Functional experience

  • Demonstrate Adaptability

  • Exhibit Customer-Centric Passion

  • Show Resilience

3. Hiring Globally and Trialing Roles is the Cheat Code

Can hiring overseas actually give your startup a competitive edge?

Yes. But how?

Global hiring isn’t just cost-effective; it’s the smart way to find specialized talent.

U.S. based startups offer above-average local salaries while saving significantly compared to local costs, creating a win-win situation.

For example, startups he worked with often hired product managers from regions like Brazil and Argentina (paying competitive salaries – $80k to $100k/year), where fintech expertise is abundant.

But there’s more to the trend — trial-based hiring. 

Many startups are now “dating before marrying” by engaging candidates in fractional or project-based roles before committing to full-time hires. 

This approach ensures cultural fit, evaluates real-world performance, and avoids costly hiring mistakes. 

4. The Art of Prioritization

Effective prioritization is essential for early-stage startups to navigate limited resources and time constraints. 

Startups must adopt a ruthless focus on initiatives that directly impact critical business goals like revenue growth, churn reduction, or profitability.

For example, he described how cutting scope is a survival mechanism.

Removing non-essential features or processes to ensure faster iteration and validation.

Over-optimizing low-impact areas, such as refining a user interface or improving deployment speeds when they aren’t bottlenecks, can be risky.

Therefore, aligning every initiative with the company’s North Star, like increasing revenue or enhancing customer onboarding efficiency is crucial.

Follow these steps for a disciplined approach to prioritization:

  • Identify initiatives that have a direct and measurable business impact.

  • Remove unnecessary features or processes that distract from core priorities.

  • Stay lean and iterative, focusing resources on solving the most pressing customer and business problems.

5. Launch Early, Learn Faster

Launching early isn’t just a strategy…

It’s a survival mechanism for startups navigating uncertain markets.

By releasing a minimal product, startups can quickly gauge demand, collect feedback, and iterate based on real-world insights. 

For example, he highlighted cases where teams used no-code tools to build quick prototypes, enabling them to test market demand without investing heavily in development.

While it may present challenges, it also confirms the product’s value and provides a clear roadmap for improvement.

Launching early allows startups to:

  • Validate their value proposition quickly with minimal investment.

  • Gather actionable feedback to guide product iterations.

  • Identify strong market signals and pivot or scale as needed.

For more details, listen to the full episode now!


Where to find Sergio


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Up Next

We have some great podcasts coming from Pierre Herubel (B2B Content Expert, 122K+ on LinkedIn), Mario Gabriele (Founder, The Generalist; Former VC), and Marily Nika (AI PM at Google, Former Meta).

In the newsletter, check out the latest piece if you haven’t yet: The AI PM's Playbook: How Top Product Managers Are 10x-ing Their Impact in 2025.

And look out for these pieces up next:

  • Sales Tech Tools Market Overview

  • How Jira Product Discovery Grows

  • Rock the Product Design Interview

Cheers,

Aakash

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