Product & AI Advisory

Helping leaders navigate the AI transition

Product strategy, AI adoption, and executive advisory for CEOs, Founders, CTOs, and VCs building the next generation of AI-powered companies.

16+ Years in product leadership
1B+ Users across products built
5 Active advisory clients
3 AI research projects

Not theory. Strategy informed by building.

01

Product Strategy & AI Decisions

Working directly with founders, executives, and VCs on product strategy in an AI-first world. Where to invest, what to build, what to skip. Decisions grounded in 16 years of shipping products at scale.

02

AI Exploration & Adoption

Helping companies move beyond AI experiments into real business value. Identifying high-leverage opportunities, evaluating build-vs-buy, and creating adoption roadmaps that actually ship.

03

AI in Product Teams

Embedding AI capabilities into how product teams work — from AI-assisted development workflows to intelligent automation. Making product organizations more effective, not just busier.

04

Product-Dev in the AI Era

The relationship between product and engineering is being rewritten by AI. Helping teams navigate new collaboration models where AI accelerates both sides of the equation.

Companies I work with

From sports tech to proptech to music AI — working across industries where product thinking and AI adoption drive competitive advantage.

Advisory that ships, not just advises.

This isn't ivory tower consulting. Every recommendation comes from someone who's built products end-to-end — from UI design through architecture, development, and team building.

  • 01

    Understand the landscape

    Deep dive into your product, market, and team. Identify where AI creates leverage and where it's noise.

  • 02

    Strategy with teeth

    Concrete product and AI strategy tied to business outcomes. No 50-slide decks — clear decisions with clear rationale.

  • 03

    Hands-on execution support

    Working alongside your team on implementation. When needed, bringing in a core network of trusted partners — designer, CTO, developer — to get things built.

  • 04

    Iterate and compound

    Ongoing advisory relationship, not a one-off engagement. Strategy compounds when someone who understands your business stays in the loop.

Michael Shmilov

Founding team executive at Viber, where he helped build a messaging platform that reached over a billion users. Served as COO and CIO at ROX Financial, VP Product at PeerSpot, and has held senior product leadership roles across multiple industries.

Active AI researcher with projects spanning financial intelligence (EcoMoat), productivity tools (Fluno), and autonomous AI systems. Angel investor with a portfolio focused on the intersection of AI, product, and business model innovation.

Based between Tel Aviv and Berlin. Works with companies globally on the strategic and operational challenges of building AI-powered products.

Viber — Founding Team COO/CIO — ROX Financial VP Product — PeerSpot AI Research — EcoMoat, Fluno Angel Investor TechStars Mentor
Core Partners
Designer
CTO
Developer
When advisory leads to building, a trusted team is ready to execute.

Thinking on AI strategy & product leadership

Practical perspectives from 16 years of shipping products at scale — on AI adoption, executive decision-making, and what actually moves the needle.

AI Adoption
March 2026

Why AI Adoption Fails Without Executive Alignment

Most AI adoption fails not because of technology, but because leadership isn't aligned on what AI should solve. The pattern is consistent — and the fix starts at the executive table.

Read the article →
Case Study
April 2026

What I Learned Advising 5 Companies on AI Adoption

Five companies across sports, music AI, proptech, healthtech, and media. Three patterns that showed up every time — and three things you can act on this week.

Read the case study →
Framework
April 2026

The AI Readiness Assessment: 7 Questions Every Executive Should Answer Before Investing

Most AI failures aren't technical — they're organizational. Score your company on seven questions that reveal whether you're ready to execute, or building on sand.

Take the assessment →
Playbook
May 2026

Building Your First AI Roadmap: A 90-Day Framework for Mid-Market Leaders

Month 1: audit and align. Month 2: pilot and learn. Month 3: scale and systematize. A concrete 90-day plan that moves mid-market companies from "we should do AI" to a running pilot with documented results.

Read the playbook →

Ready to navigate the AI transition?

30-minute introductory call. No pitch decks, no pressure. Let's see if there's a fit.

Or reach out directly: michael@shmilov.com