Product Squad
Product Squad is a French-language podcast and community founded in 2020 by Axel Sooriah, serving Product Managers through bi-weekly interviews, a recurring 'Product Café' panel format, and a bimonthly newsletter distributed free via standard podcast platforms and Substack.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersRennes, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Product Squad does
Product Squad is a French-language podcast and community serving Product Managers, founded in May 2020 by Axel Sooriah and operated from Rennes, France. Its core product is a bi-weekly interview podcast that has published over 43 episodes featuring product leaders from companies such as Thiga, Accor, SoundCloud, PayPal, and Wealthfront, alongside a companion news-and-discussion format called 'Product Café' hosted by Anna Richard and Victor Billette de Villemeur that has produced 20+ shorter episodes covering product management trends, technology news, and recurring 'AI tool of the week' segments. A bimonthly companion newsletter, 'Axel's Bento' (distributed via Substack), synthesizes key learnings and tools from each episode.
The technology stack is deliberately lightweight: the podcast is produced and hosted on Podpage and distributed through commodity channels — Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castro, and an open RSS feed via Captivate. There are no proprietary software products, no mobile applications, no APIs, and no enterprise integrations; the 'product' is content and community, not software. Episodes are primarily in French with selective English-language interview episodes signaling modest international reach.
The business model is currently creator-led and effectively pre-commercial. The podcast and newsletter are offered free of charge with no disclosed paid tiers, subscription products, or sponsorships. The headcount is reported at 1–10 (essentially the founder plus recurring co-host contributors). The entity is privately held by the founder with no disclosed institutional investment, funding rounds, or parent company. Operating geographies are concentrated in France/Europe, with content accessible globally via standard podcast platforms. The operating status is active, with the most recent episode (#43) published October 23, 2024.
Product Squad firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Product Squad
- Legal name
- Product Squad
- Website
- https://productsquad.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Product Squad is a French-language podcast and community founded in 2020 by Axel Sooriah, serving Product Managers through bi-weekly interviews, a recurring 'Product Café' panel format, and a bimonthly newsletter distributed free via standard podcast platforms and Substack.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Product Squad industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Development Podcast
- NAICS
- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Audio Production & Podcasting (BPAFAIAE)
Keywords
Where Product Squad is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rennes
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Product Squad business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Podcast Content & Community: Free podcast content for Product Managers with bi-weekly newsletter, monetized through potential sponsorships and premium content
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free podcast and newsletter access |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels3 records
Product Squad product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Product Squad operates a French-language podcast series and community for Product Management professionals, featuring in-depth interview episodes with product leaders and a companion news/discussion format called 'Product Café'. Hosted by Axel Sooriah, it publishes episodes bi-weekly and pairs the podcast with a bimonthly newsletter ('Axel's Bento') that summarizes key learnings, advice, and tools from each episode.
Product overview
Product Squad is a podcast and community platform for Product Managers, comprising two core product lines: the main Product Squad interview podcast (episodes #0 through #43+) featuring in-depth conversations with product leaders (in French and English), and the Product Café companion format — shorter news and discussion episodes covering product management trends, AI technologies, and career topics. Additional offerings include Axel's Bento, a bimonthly newsletter that synthesizes key learnings from each episode. The platform is hosted on Podpage and distributed through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castro, and RSS Feed. The community targets French-speaking product professionals while also hosting English-language international episodes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Product Squad Podcast A French-language podcast series for Product Managers featuring in-depth interview episodes with product leaders (in both French and English), covering product management practices, career development, and product culture. Distributed free via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castro, and RSS.
- Product Café A recurring news and discussion format within the Product Squad podcast, featuring shorter episodes (20–45 minutes) where hosts Anna, Victor, and Axel discuss current product management news, technology trends, and career topics, often featuring guest experts.
- Axel's Bento Newsletter A bimonthly newsletter by host Axel Sooriah that delivers a condensed summary of key learnings, advice, and tools from each Product Squad episode, sent directly to subscribers' email inboxes and via Substack.
- Product Squad Community A community of Product Managers formed around the Product Squad podcast, aimed at helping members better understand Product Management, develop product culture within their organizations, and accelerate their careers — whether they are current PMs or not.
Companies that use Product Squad
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Product Squad technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Product Squad partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Product Squad competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Substack: Hosting and distribution infrastructure used by Axel's Bento newsletter. It is comparable as an enabling platform on which the company's newsletter distribution depends, rather than as a content competitor.
- Captivate (Podcast Hosting): The podcast hosting provider powering the Product Squad RSS feed. Comparable as an infrastructure/technology partner that the audio distribution layer relies on.
Direct peers
- Lenny's Podcast: Lenny Rachitsky's product management podcast is the most prominent English-language PM podcast. It is directly comparable in format (long-form interviews with PM leaders) and audience, and serves as the global category benchmark Product Squad competes with for French-market audience overlap.
- Mind the Product: Mind the Product is a long-running PM community, podcast, and event series. It is comparable in that it pairs PM-focused audio content with a community and educational layer, mirroring Product Squad's podcast-plus-community positioning.
- Product Love Podcast: A podcast dedicated to product management interviews with practitioners. Comparable through its PM-specific interview format and solo-creator distribution model, even though it operates in English.
- The Product Coach Podcast: French-language PM podcast led by product coaches. A direct peer in Product Squad's home language and category, targeting the same francophone PM audience.
Broad incumbents
- Product School: A larger PM education and content company running podcasts, courses, and certifications. Overlaps with Product Squad's PM career-development value proposition but at significantly broader scale.
- Reforge: A subscription-based PM/product education platform with podcasts and courses. Comparable in targeting senior PMs with paid educational content, though at materially larger scale and English-only.
- Product Management Festival: A broader Swiss/European PM community and event operator that publishes PM content and runs conferences. Comparable as a more established European PM content brand that French PMs also follow.
Regional players
- Thiga: A French PM consultancy and thought-leadership brand that has appeared on Product Squad (e.g., Hugo Geissmann in Episode #43). Comparable as a France-anchored PM content authority addressing the same audience.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Product Squad social profiles
Digital presenceProduct Squad financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Product Squad leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Product Squad funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Product Squad M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Product Squad
What does Product Squad do?
Product Squad operates a French-language podcast series and community for Product Management professionals, featuring in-depth interview episodes with product leaders and a companion news/discussion format called 'Product Café'. Hosted by Axel Sooriah, it publishes episodes bi-weekly and pairs the podcast with a bimonthly newsletter ('Axel's Bento') that summarizes key learnings, advice, and tools from each episode.
Is Product Squad a public or private company?
Product Squad is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Product Squad founded?
Product Squad was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Product Squad based?
Product Squad is headquartered in Rennes, France, in the Europe region.
How does Product Squad make money?
One revenue line is on record: podcast Content & Community.
Who are Product Squad's main competitors?
Others on record are Substack and Captivate (Podcast Hosting). Direct peers are Lenny's Podcast, Mind the Product, Product Love Podcast and The Product Coach Podcast. Broad incumbents are Product School, Reforge and Product Management Festival. Thiga is listed as a regional player.
Does Product Squad have an API?
No public API is recorded for Product Squad.
What industry is Product Squad in?
Product Squad's product category is Professional Development Podcast. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAIAE, Audio Production & Podcasting. Its NAICS code is 541 and its SIC code is 8600.