The Path: Arcadia to Flypower

I started as a first product hire at Arcadia, where I built infrastructure for residential solar distribution. At Solstice, I scaled platform and billing systems for 100+ utility partners. At Posigen, I owned product operations and compliance, learning how to ship reliably inside regulated markets. Most recently at Flypower, I led AI-driven product workflows and operational scaling.

This progression taught me something vital: the hard part is never the feature set. It is getting the systems right. Product philosophy is worthless without ops. Growth breaks easily without platform. And AI delivers value only inside disciplined workflows.

Non-Product-First Org Builder

One signature strength I've developed is building product functions inside organizations that were not designed for product thinking. Most of my companies started as engineering or operations shops. I've learned to earn credibility by first understanding the operating model, then introducing product discipline in ways that unlock new leverage rather than slow things down.

This means I design systems that bridge product, ops, engineering, and compliance. I speak both languages. And I know how to navigate organizations where product is not yet a center-of-gravity function.

AI Operator

Over the past year, I have become an AI operator. This means shipping products and tools that harness AI for genuine operational gain, not just novelty.

I've shipped Hype Me Up in weeks using agentic development. I've built ApplyTrue, a job application agent I use myself daily. And I am helping founders think clearly about where AI compounds execution velocity versus where it just adds cost.

The next decade of product leadership is about understanding how to weave AI throughout operations, compliance, and delivery. I am building that muscle now.

Personal Joys

I’m energized by learning and building. Outside of my current focus on agentic AI, you’ll usually find me in a few consistent arenas:

• Chess: 850+ day playing streak. Always up for a match — Chess.com @fiboyahtzee
• Bouldering: Regularly climbing (and falling) at Mesa Rim in San Diego.
• Cooking: Spicy Szechuan experiments and thoughtfully overbuilt cheese boards. Instagram @Luketriescooking