The role of the Chief Product Officer (CPO) was the focus of the second session of ‘Startup C-Level Insights’, a series organized by BStartup and Startup Valencia to delve into the professional profiles within a startup and their strategic roles.
The event was held at Banco Sabadell’s Hub Empresa and highlighted the various functions of this role: creator, strategist, salesperson, and transformer. Karina Virrueta, Head of Innovation Ecosystem at Startup Valencia, and Silvia López, Director of Hub Empresa at Banco Sabadell, welcomed attendees to the event.
The session began with a presentation by Javier Querol, CPO of Mercadona Tech, who explained how the Chief Product Officer can be a key figure in the creation and growth of a company. He also discussed the importance of the product in the success and scaling of a startup.
The CPO of Mercadona explained that the key to making a good product from the start is to “understand the user, empathize with them, listen to feedback, and know your business and company.” Additionally, he emphasized that for a role like that of a Chief Product Officer, “it’s important to be present and have context.” He also noted that “people need to evolve alongside the company to be able to adapt and stay in sync.”
To delve deeper into the topic, the session continued with a panel discussion titled “Different Strategies of the CPO.” In addition to Javier Querol, the panel included Iban Borràs, CPO and co-founder of Sales Layer, and Maria Castellote, CPO and co-founder of Bunji, moderated by Carlos Moya, Product Manager at Citibox and coordinator of Product & Beers. The discussion covered when a startup needs to hire a CPO, how to create the best product, and how it should evolve over time.
In this regard, Iban Borràs highlighted that when developing a product, it’s important to identify areas of need or problems and provide solutions and experiment, “even if we don’t have a large capital.” “To build a product, you also need to have vision and take risks,” he added.
The session concluded with a networking event where all attendees could exchange ideas and experiences on the topic discussed.
Startup C-Level Insights Series
‘Startup C-Level Insights’ is a series organized by BStartup and Startup Valencia, through which we explore the key professional profiles within a startup and their strategic roles. In the first edition, we focused on the fundamental role of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in the growth and transformation of a startup/scale-up, and this second edition has focused on the Chief Product Officer (CPO).
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