Product Leader

Turning complex technology into products enterprises rely on.

14+ years building connectivity and IoT platforms across Africa, Asia, and Europe. From carrier-grade networks to global SaaS — I bridge deep technical understanding with strategic product thinking.

Varun Patel — Product Leader
14+
Years in Connectivity & Tech
4
Zero-to-One Product Launches
14+
Countries — Global Product Delivery
1st
World-First Product Launch (HDR Evie)
1
Patent Holder (IoT Smart Padlock)

Building at the intersection of hardware, software & strategy.

I've spent my career in connectivity and technology — from deploying carrier-grade networks across Africa to leading product strategy for global IoT, satellite, and cloud platforms. What sets me apart is experience across both hardware and software product development — a combination that's rare in product management today.

At emnify, I own product strategy and roadmap for satellite connectivity, core network signaling, MVNO/MVNE PaaS, and eSIM enablement — presenting directly to C-level stakeholders. I've enabled MNOs onto the platform driving significant new ARR, launched 5G NSA capabilities, and brought satellite IoT connectivity to Brazil — opening deployments in previously unreachable environments.

At LYNX Technik, I owned the go-to-market launch of the world's first real-time, frame-by-frame HDR-to-SDR converter — a product that won both the NAB Product of the Year and IBC Best of Show awards. I coordinated with engineering and university research partners, created demo videos and marketing materials, and represented the product at major industry exhibitions.

Before that, I joined Willowmore as the first product employee and co-invented a patented IoT smart padlock combining BLE and cellular connectivity. I managed OEM hardware and software partners in China, defined UX for web and mobile applications, and took the product from concept through pilots across six countries to the company's first enterprise sale — a seven-figure enterprise deal with no prior customer references.

What energizes me most today is operating at the intersection of product strategy and organizational impact — leading and mentoring PM teams, setting product direction at a broader level, and building platforms that create lasting competitive advantage.

Quick Facts

  • Based in Lindau, Germany
  • Education MBA, SP Jain Global
  • Engineering B.E., VTU India
  • Languages EN · HI · DE
  • Patent SG 10201708266U
  • Award emnify Innovation 2024

A career built across continents.

From engineering networks in East Africa to shaping product strategy in Europe — each chapter added a new dimension to how I build products.

2025 — Now
Germany

Staff Product Manager

emnify
IoT Connectivity Platform · Germany

Own product strategy and roadmap for satellite connectivity, core network signaling, MVNO/MVNE PaaS, and operator eSIM enablement — with direct C-level roadmap communication. Delivered satellite-based cellular IoT connectivity in Brazil via Skylo, enabling deployments in previously unreachable environments. Lead cross-functional alignment across 11 engineers and 2 engineering managers. Define pricing strategy and drive market analysis to shape platform differentiation. Informally mentor PMs and establish product and engineering processes adopted company-wide.

2023 — 2025
Germany

Senior Product Manager

emnify
IoT Connectivity Platform · Germany

Enabled 2 MNOs on the platform, establishing a significant new revenue stream. Led two cross-functional teams to deliver emnify's market entry and enterprise onboarding in Brazil — establishing a repeatable regional launch model. Rolled out next-generation packet gateways, strengthening platform scalability and customer network integration.

★ emnify Innovation Award — 2024
2021 — 2023
Germany

Product Manager, Core Networks

emnify
IoT Connectivity Platform · Germany

Led development and launch of 5G non-standalone cloud core network capabilities, supporting early customer deployments and platform scalability. Owned product delivery for core network software with a team of 6 engineers in an agile environment. Drove product discovery through customer interviews and problem validation, and owned roadmap definition informed by market, technology, and competitive analysis.

2019 — 2021
Germany

Product Manager

LYNX Technik AG
Broadcast Technology · Weiterstadt, Germany

Managed the full product portfolio across three product lines — greenMachine, yellobrik, and Series 5000 — launching 7+ hardware products over two years. Owned end-to-end product deliverables including hardware print design, datasheets, PRDs, technical and GUI requirements, marketing materials, sales enablement, and launch planning. Owned the go-to-market strategy for HDR Evie — the world's first real-time, frame-by-frame HDR to SDR converter. Coordinated with engineering and university research partners, created product demo videos and presentations, and represented the product at NAB and IBC exhibitions. Won NAB Product of the Year and IBC Best of Show awards.

2016 — 2019
Singapore

IoT Product Manager

Willowmore Pvt. Ltd.
IoT & Smart Hardware · Singapore

Co-invented a patented IoT smart padlock combining BLE and cellular connectivity (SG Patent No. 10201708266U). Built the SenseHub access management platform from scratch — wireframing, requirements gathering, and working with designers and engineers to deliver mobile and web applications for locking, access requests, approvals, and audit logging. Built an automated functional testing system for the smart padlock. Guided ST Engineering on web interface improvements for their smart access management solution based on customer feedback. Managed OEM hardware and software partners in China. Ran pilot programs across Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Kuwait, and UAE. Closed the company's first enterprise sale — a seven-figure enterprise deal with zero prior references. Presented product and business updates directly to board members.

📚 Patent Holder · First Enterprise Sale
2011 — 2015
Kenya

Wireless Engineer

Huawei Technologies
Telecom Infrastructure · Nairobi, Kenya

Led the first commercial 4G network deployment in Madagascar. Delivered large-scale 2G, 3G, and LTE rollouts across Kenya, Zambia, South Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, and DRC Congo. Led and trained subcontractor teams for on-site execution, performance optimization, and EHS compliance.

Products that created real impact.

From zero-to-one hardware products to scaling global connectivity platforms — here are the stories behind the work.

Satellite IoT · emnify

Bringing Satellite IoT Connectivity to Brazil

Challenge
Enterprise IoT customers in Brazil needed connectivity in remote areas with zero terrestrial coverage — a gap no existing solution could fill.
Approach
Partnered with Skylo to deliver NB-IoT via satellite. Defined the pricing strategy and go-to-market for an entirely new connectivity category on the emnify platform.
Result
Launched satellite IoT connectivity in Brazil — enabling enterprise deployments in previously unreachable environments and opening a new market category.
New
Market Category
Brazil
First Market
Platform Growth · emnify

Enabling MNOs on a Global IoT PaaS

Challenge
emnify needed to validate its MVNE/PaaS model by onboarding mobile network operators — requiring deep technical integration and commercial alignment.
Approach
Led end-to-end technical and commercial onboarding of 2 MNOs. Drove cross-functional alignment and established a repeatable regional launch model starting with Brazil.
Result
Established a significant new revenue stream, validated the PaaS model at scale, and created a blueprint for future operator onboarding.
New
Revenue Stream
2
MNOs Enabled
0-to-1 · Hardware + Software · Willowmore

Patented IoT Smart Padlock — Concept to Enterprise Sale

Challenge
Build an IoT-connected smart padlock from scratch as the company's first product employee — with no existing product, no customers, and no reference deployments.
Approach
Co-invented the BLE + cellular padlock (now patented). Managed OEM hardware and software partners in China, built an automated functional testing system, defined UX for web and mobile apps, and ran pilot programs across 8 countries.
Result
Closed the company's first enterprise sale — a seven-figure (SGD) enterprise deal in Indonesia with zero prior customer references. Secured patent SG 10201708266U.
7-fig
First Enterprise Deal
8
Pilot Markets
Broadcast Tech · LYNX Technik · World's First

World's First Real-Time "Frame-by-Frame" HDR to SDR Converter

Challenge
Broadcasters needed real-time HDR to SDR conversion for live events — but existing solutions used static corrections that failed in unpredictable lighting conditions. The product was in development with a university partner, but needed a complete go-to-market strategy to reach the broadcast industry.
Approach
Owned the full GTM lifecycle: coordinated with engineering and the university research team, created product demo videos and presentation materials, built marketing strategy and documentation with external partners, and represented the product at major industry exhibitions including NAB and IBC.
Result
Successfully launched the world's first automated frame-by-frame dynamic HDR to SDR converter to market. Won both the NAB Product of the Year Award and IBC Best of Show.
2
Industry Awards
GTM
Full Launch Ownership

Interviews & product demos.

Conversations about the products I've built and the thinking behind them — including interviews and live product demonstrations from LYNX Technik.

Product Demo · NAB 2019

HDR Evie — The World's First Automated "Frame-by-Frame" HDR to SDR Conversion

Varun Patel, LYNX Technik Product Manager, highlights the new innovations on show at NAB 2019.

Product Introduction · LYNX Technik AG

Introduction to HDR Evie

Introduction to the world's first real-time, frame-by-frame, dynamic HDR to SDR converter.

Interview · IBC 2019, Amsterdam

LYNX Technik at IBC 2019 — 8K Fiber Products & 100K Yellobrik Milestone

Product Manager Varun Patel introduces new 8K fiber products and demonstrates HDR Evie & HDR Evie+ real-time converters at IBC 2019.

Product Engineering · Willowmore 2018

World's First Automated Functional Tester for IoT Smart Padlock

Automated testing system for the patented Willowmore smart padlock. Varun defined the test flows and collaborated with engineering to build this in 2018.

What I work with.

A blend of strategic, technical, and operational skills shaped by years of building products across hardware, software, and connectivity platforms.

Product Strategy

Product Roadmapping Product Vision Market Analysis Competitive Research Pricing Strategy Go-to-Market Business Case Development Portfolio Management

Execution & Delivery

Agile / Scrum Cross-functional Leadership Stakeholder Management Customer Discovery Backlog Prioritization OKRs & KPIs Product Discovery

Hardware Products

IoT Device Development BLE & Cellular Hardware OEM Partner Management Firmware Coordination Manufacturing Handoff Broadcast Video Processing eSIM / eUICC Sensor Integration (SigFox)

Software & Platforms

SaaS / PaaS Cloud Core Networks 5G / LTE MVNO / MVNE Satellite Connectivity IoT Platforms Web & Mobile Apps Predictive Analytics

Tools

Jira Confluence Figma Miro Dovetail SQL Superset Periscope Lucidchart

What colleagues say.

Perspectives from people I've worked closely with across different roles and organizations.

"Varun is an outstanding talent. Adapts quickly, hardworking, trusted, technically very capable and very responsive. Pretty much everything a manager could hope for. His MBA training shows out in his commercial decision making. Varun has a bright future ahead, and would be an asset to any team. We just need to convince him to move back to Singapore, and we would hire him tomorrow."
Basil Byrne
Co-Founder & Director, Willowmore
"I was lucky to have Varun as a technical lead in the setup. He was simply excellent — technical team management, subcontractor resource management, resources optimizations. He was also a hands-on fellow, thus instead of just delegating, he actually jumped in the deep end and carried out some of the tasks himself. In a nutshell, you can never go wrong with Varun."
Harrison Domoi
Team Lead, Huawei · Kenya
"He helped me a lot to set up our first biggest project in Indonesia and made it happen. He is multitasking and wants to make everything inline and make sure it's working. Wherever he is, he can adapt and he can take any challenge. He is a person who can make you feel not only a colleague but also as a friend and family."
Ariyohana Saraswati
Indonesia Country Head, Willowmore

View all recommendations on LinkedIn →

Thoughts on product & technology.

Occasional reflections on product management, connectivity, and building in complex technology domains.

Let's connect.

Whether you're building something in connected technology, enterprise SaaS, or platform ecosystems — I'd love to hear from you.

"What drives me is building platforms that create lasting competitive advantage — and working with teams who share that ambition."

Get In Touch →