ProsperCircle is a user-friendly platform designed to make the product management job search less soul-crushing. Pulse 2.0 interviewed ProsperCircle founder Salil Sethi to learn more about the company.
Salil Sethi’s Background
Sethi’s journey has been a blend of strategic consulting, entrepreneurship, and advisory roles. And Sethi said:
“After graduating from MIT, I started at McKinsey, where my work primarily centered on private equity due diligence within the High Tech and Payments sectors. This role honed my analytical skills and deepened my understanding of market dynamics and investment strategies.”
“Transitioning from McKinsey, I embraced entrepreneurship, and currently, I’m working on ProsperCircle, a platform dedicated to empowering individuals to find and prepare for product management jobs.”
“Additionally, I’ve been actively involved in the startup ecosystem as an advisor, offering strategic guidance to emerging companies. My role as a Board Member Advisor for the prestigious MIT Delta V Accelerator has allowed me to support startups in building product, finding product market fit, and growing their team.”
Formation Of ProsperCircle
How did the idea for ProsperCircle come together? Sethi shared:
“The genesis of ProsperCircle was born out of a clear gap in the market: there was no comprehensive platform dedicated specifically to assisting product managers in both finding job opportunities and preparing for the nuanced complexities of the interview process. In my journey, both in consulting and the startup ecosystem, I observed a consistent challenge among professionals striving to enter or advance within the product management domain. The pathway to securing and excelling in product management roles was often murky, with resources scattered and advice generic.”
“Given that product management interviews are inherently non-deterministic, with a vast range of questions spanning technical expertise, strategic thinking, and leadership skills, a traditional preparation approach was insufficient.”
“To bridge this gap, we developed a proprietary reasoning engine built on top of Large Language Models (LLMs). This engine is designed to simulate the dynamic and often unpredictable nature of PM interviews, providing candidates with a highly personalized preparation experience. By analyzing patterns in successful interview responses and integrating insights from experienced product managers, our engine offers tailored feedback, guiding users through complex problem-solving scenarios, case studies, and behavioral questions.”
“Our platform’s unique value lies in this intelligent preparation tool, which adapts to each user’s strengths and areas for improvement, ensuring that candidates are not only ready to answer a wide range of questions but also to think critically and articulate their thoughts in a clear, structured manner.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for ProsperCircle so far? Sethi reflected:
“One of my favorite memories at ProsperCircle unfolded during a feedback session we hosted for users who had recently secured product management roles through our platform. A user, whom I’ll refer to as Alex, shared a story that truly resonated with me and the team. Alex had been trying to transition into product management from a non-traditional background and faced numerous rejections. Feeling disheartened, Alex stumbled upon ProsperCircle and decided to give it one last shot, utilizing our proprietary reasoning engine to prepare for interviews.”
“After weeks of preparation, Alex secured an interview with a dream company. During the interview, Alex was presented with a complex case study that, coincidentally, closely mirrored one of the simulation scenarios from our platform. Alex navigated the case with confidence, leveraging the structured problem-solving approach and insights gained through our platform. Not only did Alex ace the interview, but they also received high praise for their analytical and strategic thinking.”
“Hearing Alex recount the moment they realized the interview scenario was something they had already tackled through ProsperCircle, and how that realization filled them with confidence was incredibly rewarding. It was a poignant reminder of why we built this platform: to empower individuals like Alex to overcome barriers and realize their potential in the product management field. This moment underscored the impact of our work and fueled our passion to continue innovating and supporting our users’ journeys.”
Core Products
What are ProsperCircle’s core products and features? Sethi explained:
“ProsperCircle’s core offering is a comprehensive platform designed to empower product managers in their career journey, featuring two main products:
- Job Discovery and Matching Engine: A tailored job discovery platform that connects product managers with the most relevant job opportunities in the market. Utilizing advanced algorithms, it matches candidates with roles that best fit their skills, experience, and career aspirations.
- Interview Preparation Tool: A cutting-edge interview preparation tool powered by a proprietary reasoning engine built on top of Large Language Models (LLMs). This tool provides personalized practice scenarios, including case studies, problem-solving exercises, and behavioral questions tailored to the unique challenges of PM interviews. It offers feedback and strategies to improve candidates’ performance, ensuring they are well-prepared for a wide range of interview questions.
Together, these products provide a holistic solution for Product Managers seeking to advance their careers, from discovering new opportunities to excelling in the interview process.”
Challenges Faced
What challenges has Sethi faced in building the company? Sethi acknowledged:
“In the current climate, there’s a noticeable slowdown in hiring within the tech-first industry. However, it’s important to highlight that non-tech-first industries, such as financial services, pharma, and banking, are actively seeking to bolster their teams with product managers. In fact, at this moment, over 70% of the open PM positions listed on ProsperCircle are from these non-tech-first sectors. This trend underscores a significant shift, indicating that as traditional industries increasingly embrace digital transformation and innovation, the demand for product managers—who can bridge technology and business, driving product strategy and execution—is growing outside the traditional tech sector.”
Evolution Of ProsperCircle’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Sethi noted:
“We launched in 2023 and are using the latest foundational LLM to build our technology product.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Sethi cited:
“ProsperCircle launched in the Fall of 2023. Since launching, we have achieved two major milestones.
- Users Milestone: ProsperCircle has helped over 1000 candidates prepare for product management interviews
- Product Milestone: ProsperCircle developed and launched a proprietary reasoning engine for PM case interviews.”
Funding
After asking Sethi about the company’s funding information, he revealed:
“We have raised over seven figures in venture funding to build ProsperCircle.”
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size is the company pursuing? Sethi assessed:
“The TAM for the product marketing recruiting market is between $500 million to $1 billion. However, expanding to other recruiting roles, the market opens up to north of $1 billion.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Sethi affirmed:
“ProsperCircle differentiates itself from competitors through several key features and strategic approaches:
- Proprietary Reasoning Engine: Unlike generic interview preparation tools, ProsperCircle offers a proprietary reasoning engine built on top of Large Language Models (LLMs). This advanced technology provides personalized interview preparation, adapting to the user’s strengths and weaknesses to simulate the dynamic nature of PM interviews more accurately.
- Industry-Specific Focus: ProsperCircle is exclusively dedicated to the field of product management. This focus allows for a deeper understanding of the specific challenges and opportunities within the PM domain, leading to more tailored job matching and preparation resources compared to generalist career platforms.
- Comprehensive Job Matching: Leveraging advanced algorithms, our platform offers a sophisticated job discovery and matching engine that connects product managers with opportunities that best match their skills, experience, and career aspirations, including roles in non-tech-first industries which are often overlooked by other platforms.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future company goals? Sethi pointed out:
“ProsperCircle’s future goals are focused on expanding our impact and enhancing our offerings to better serve the product management community. Key objectives include:
- Reach: We aim to broaden our reach by expanding into new geographical markets, making ProsperCircle accessible to product managers worldwide. This includes localizing content and tools to meet the specific needs of international users.
- Technology Advancement: Continuing to innovate our proprietary reasoning engine and job-matching algorithms is a priority. We plan to integrate AI and machine learning advancements to provide even more personalized and effective preparation and job-matching experiences.
- Educational Partnerships: We intend to forge more strategic partnerships with educational institutions and industry organizations. By integrating our tools and resources into curriculum and professional development programs, we can support the next generation of product managers from education to employment.
- Product Portfolio Expansion: Developing additional tools and resources tailored to the needs of product managers at various stages of their career. This includes advanced career planning tools, deeper analytics on industry trends, and enhanced learning modules on emerging technologies and methodologies.
- Advocacy and Thought Leadership: ProsperCircle aims to become a leading voice in the product management field. By publishing insightful research, leading discussions on industry trends, and advocating for the role of Product Management in business success, we plan to contribute to the evolution of the profession.”
“Through these goals, ProsperCircle is committed to not only maintaining its position as a premier platform for product managers but also to driving the profession forward, supporting product managers in achieving their career aspirations, and shaping the future of product management.”
Additional Thoughts
Any other topics to discuss? Sethi concluded:
“There is a fear that AI will replace or minimize the role of product managers. In my opinion, this is unfounded. In reality, the essence of product management lies in its deeply relational, communicative, and strategic nature—qualities that AI cannot replicate. Product managers orchestrate the development and execution of product strategies by fostering collaboration across diverse teams, understanding and advocating for user needs, and negotiating stakeholder interests. These tasks require empathy, interpersonal skills, and nuanced decision-making that AI, despite its advancements, cannot emulate.”
“Moreover, the rise of AI and other technologies presents an opportunity for product managers to enhance their role by leveraging these tools to gain deeper insights, streamline processes, and create innovative solutions. Rather than being replaced, product managers are increasingly critical in guiding how AI is integrated into products, ensuring that technology aligns with human values and business objectives. The future of product management will likely see a symbiotic relationship with AI, where technology augments the human elements of creativity, strategic thinking, and relationship-building that are at the core of the discipline.”
