Startup Vs. Mature Company Product Manager Role

What's the difference between a product management role at a startup vs. an established company?

1. Agility

In a startup, the journey from inception to production is short and presents fewer "red tape" hurdles.

In a mature company, there are a lot more processes to navigate, approvals to acquire & planning to go through.

‍

2. Responsibilities

In a startup, PMs have a full-stack mindset. They wear several hats and any problem without a clear owner falls on the lap of a PM.

In a mature company, there are more specialized personnel for every area of product development, from marketing to product design to sales enablement.

‍

3. Stakes

In a startup, there can be an existential crisis at times when the future of the company is pegged on certain releases or metrics. That hustle can be thrilling and scary.

In a mature company, moving fast is important but it's not do or die. There is room to experiment.

‍

4. Resources

In startups, you can't really subscribe to all the paid tools you desire. There are limited funds for paid media campaigns and contracting agencies, unlike bigger setups where this can be made available.

‍

5. Career path

PMs in a startup get to carve their own destiny and expand, compared to mature setups where there is a prescribed career ladder.

‍