Harper (YC W25) · 1 week ago
Founding Product Manager
San Francisco
Full-time
Onsite
Mid, Senior Level
$135K/yr - $185K/yr
3+ years expHarperinsure is an AI-native professional services company focused on transforming commercial insurance distribution. The Founding Product Manager will bridge engineering and business, driving product strategy and execution while fostering a collaborative culture across teams.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)FinTechInsurance
Responsibilities
Use AI to prototype fast. You're not waiting for engineering to validate ideas. You're spinning up prototypes yourself using Claude Code, Lovable, Cursor, or whatever gets you to a testable concept fastest. You show, not tell. When you bring something to the team, you've already built a version of it
Bridge engineering and business. Become the translator the company has been missing. Understand our data systems, AI infrastructure, and technical capabilities deeply enough to explain what's possible—and what's not—to sales, service, and leadership. Turn business problems into technical specs. Turn technical capabilities into revenue opportunities
Be the gelling function. Sales is closing deals. Service is handling customers. Engineering is shipping features. You make sure they're all building the same company. Break down walls between teams. Create shared context. Ensure that what sales promises, engineering builds, and service delivers are all aligned
Own a product area end-to-end. Not a single feature—a whole surface of the business. AI agents, workflow automation, voice systems, customer service tools—whatever area you own, you own completely. Strategy, roadmap, execution, outcomes
Drive business outcomes. Your north star is revenue and customers, not features shipped. $XX ARR. XX enterprise customers. Usage metrics are fine as sub-OKRs, but not your main measure. You're accountable to the business, not the backlog
Talk to customers every day. Literally. Understand their workflows, pain points, and success metrics. Translate insights into clear product requirements and user stories. Become the person who knows what customers need before they ask
Build product culture. We haven't had it. You'll create it. Define how product decisions get made, how priorities get set, how trade-offs get communicated. Establish the rhythms and rituals that make product work at Harper
Argue it out, then decide. We resolve decisions by debating them. Voice your opinion. Push back. Take all the arguments and translate them into a conclusion. Then ship
Qualification
Required
3-6 years in product management, ideally in B2B SaaS or AI-native products
Technical depth—understanding of AI agent architecture, context engineering, and how LLM-based systems work
Proficiency using AI tools (Claude Code, Lovable, Cursor, etc.) to rapidly prototype and validate ideas
Demonstrated success owning a product from concept through launch and iteration
Technical fluency—deep understanding of data systems, architecture, and AI/ML concepts
Track record of bridging engineering and business teams effectively
Experience working cross-functionally across engineering, design, sales, and operations
Strong communication skills—can translate complex technical concepts for non-technical audiences
Based in San Francisco or willing to relocate
Preferred
Experience in insurance, fintech, or other regulated industries
Background in AI/ML products, voice AI, or workflow automation
Prior startup experience at similar stage (Series A/B)
Experience building product functions or teams from scratch
Benefits
Bonus
Equity
Company
Harper (YC W25)
Harper is a commercial E&S insurance brokerage.
11-50 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageTotal Funding
$0.5MKey Investors
Y Combinator
2025-03-12Pre Seed· $0.5M
Company data provided by crunchbase