Ilya Sinelnikov
Product, executive, entrepreneur
About me
A product owner with 20 years of experience, based in Boston.
Building products in Robotics, Micromobility, Automotive, Transportation, and Education. Founded two startups and led product teams at two others.
Bridging Hardware, Embedded Systems, Software, IoT, Cloud, Web, and Mobile to deliver exceptional user experiences aligned with business goals.
Owning roadmap at all levels, building teams and processes, developing go-to-market strategy and executing them effectively.
Instructor and mentor at MassRobotics Accelerator. Author of Meeting Room interactive trainer and Negotiations and client relationship course. Teacher and Partner at Bureau Gorbunov Management School.
Master's degree in Cybersecurity.
Projects
Launched wireless charging for fleets with a 99.4% success rate
Developed an AI-powered real-time parking photo analyzer, reducing incidents by 41% and ensuring compliance
Built a real-time sidewalk detection system with sub-second response for rider safety
Secured Google Maps integration for Superpedestrian scooters, increasing ridership by 18%
Created an ML-based deployment tool to optimize routes and improve fleet utilization by 20%
Designed a Vehicle Intelligence System for scooters equipped with 100+ sensors, reducing downtime by one-third
Designed and developed a mobile app for 2M+ micromobility riders
Specified the ideal shared-fleet e-scooter, achieving the industry’s lowest lifetime cost
Founded a car rental marketplace for dealerships, achieving profitability and exceptional service in 9 months
Launched the Bureau Gorbunov Management School, training 500+ students in a 1-year, 8-discipline program
Created a photo-realistic car interior configurator, boosting dealership sales by 220%
Designed a mobile app for motorcycle helmet projections on Nokia phones, enabling hands-free navigation
Founded Dapple Grey agency, delivering 100+ software, branding, and go-to-market projects
Founded Lexil startup and raised $1.5M Series A. Invented a Bluetooth marketing platform delivering location-based content.
Experience
WiTricity
Principal Product Manager, 2024 — present
- Led the product development of wireless chargers for EVs of commercial fleets
- Addressed key gaps in market strategy, team composition, and execution, improving development speed by 30%
- Designed unique in-vehicle parking assistance system
- Developed WiTricity Cloud platform for charger management
Superpedestrian
VP of Product Management and Design,
- Led the product development of the most cost-efficient and safe e-scooter for micromobility defining the major industry trends
- Scaled the fleet to 50,000 scooters, served 2 million unique riders across 8 countries
- Reached $45M in revenue with industry-best trip margin
- Scaled the team from sole position to 15 product managers and designers
- Launched a real-time sidewalk riding detection and prevention system with sub-second response for rider safety
- Developed an AI-powered real-time parking photo analyzer, reducing incidents by 41% and ensuring compliance
“It felt like the Volvo of
Envy.rent
Founder and CPO, 2015—2018
- Co-founded the first double-sided car rental marketplace for car dealerships
- Achieved $1.6M revenue and profitability in 9 months with initial budget of $50K
- Led the creation of customer facing website, brand, marketing & advertising
- Developed an automated parser, backend and front-end to seamlessly integrate dealership listings from cars.com into rental offerings
- Forged a strategic partnership with the largest Chinese car rental marketplace, tripling our bookings
- Built exceptional quality customer support resulting in hundreds of 5-star reviews on Facebook, Yelp, Trip advisor, and Google
Dapple Grey Agency
Founder and CEO, 2009—2013
- Founded the Design and Development company
- Completed 100+ project in hardware & embedded development, web & mobile development, product strategy, branding & identity, market research & competitive analysis
Lexil Bluetooth Marketing
Founder and CEO, 2006—2009
- Founded startup and launched the first bluetooth device for local mobile content sharing in pre-iPhone era
- Raised $1.5M in Series A
- Built and led a 60 people company
Ultimate ownership is the most useful paradigm. Fix time, fix budget, flex scope is the best framework. Focus is the daily mantra. Empathy is the main soft skill. No is the most important word.
Publications
Book
Interactive practice book on negotiation and communication “Meeting room”
In Russian; English version coming soon.
Course
Negotiation and Client Relationship 2.0
In Russian: online, 4 weeks, weekly webinars; In English: on-site, 4 full days.
Video Podcasts
- Failure is a good thing (Design, Movies, and Poufs) (in Russian)
- Negotiations (Submarine Podcast #166) (in Russian)
- Negotiations about money (Submarine Podcast #383) (in Russian)
- Product ownership (Who's a student) (in Russian)
- How to make a good impression at a new job (Who's a student) (in Russian)
Press
- Reflection on Russo-Ukranian war (Superpedestrian Blog, 2022)
- Everyday life of a Product manager in an American startup (VC.ru, 2018)
- Life and Politics (Who's a student, 2018)
- Young capitals, 20 under 20 (Kommersant Money Magazine, 2008)
Featured articles on product management and negotiations
“No” is just as valid as “yes.” It carries no personal judgment.
At its core, lying seems to be the ultimate expression of inner lack of freedom.
A person’s mission is to provide the most value to a user, customer, or employer. All negotiation techniques aim to maximize this value. If someone feels offended by you, the negotiation has failed. A good negotiator cares about the other person and pays close attention to their emotions.
A system based on compromise encourages yielding from the very start to reach an agreement. The main goal becomes securing a “yes,” rather than understanding the issue and finding the best solution.
The main goal of negotiations is to understand the client’s problem in detail. This is not easy as clients often don’t see the full picture themselves and can’t clearly explain it to you. That’s why a negotiator tries to step into the client’s shoes and view the world from their perspective.
The most reliable way to understand what the other party is thinking is by asking open-ended questions.
If you’re aware of your own issue, don’t pretend everything is fine. Instead, mention it openly before the conversation starts.
Reputation is the most valuable asset a person has. It’s a life capital that takes a long time to build but can be lost very quickly.
If a client says “it’s expensive,” it might mean they don’t see enough value in your offer. Try presenting a different option. For example, reduce the scope of work or, conversely, propose expanding the project (perhaps with a discount on the additional part).
A good manager always focuses on thoroughly preparing only Plan A. Plan B leads to risky compromises.
When discussing salary, like any negotiation, thorough preparation is key. Focus not on your earnings but on the value you can bring to the company and your manager personally.
Contact
Feel free to contact me about partnership, mentoring, or collaboration:
© Ilya Sinelnikov, 2025 · LinkedIn · Facebook · Instagram · Download CV