Paahul Sikand
Product manager. Cambridge, Ontario.
I’m Paahul. Immigrant, new dad, product manager. Navigating all three.
My work sits at the intersection of infra, monetization, and the broader question of where technology is going. Right now that’s Zapier’s Enterprise zone — how large organizations bring automation into their stack as a real operational layer, not a one-off experiment. Before this, Staff PM at Rokt and mParticle on commerce and monetization data systems.
A decade in tech across 10+ cities, in companies small and big. Engineer first, then a stretch in sales, eventually product. Each vantage changes how you read a problem.
I watch before I move. Observing patterns across companies, industries, and people is the part of this work I find most fulfilling — probably the thing I’d be doing either way. I don’t always land on a clean answer, and I build anyway. The looking and the making aren’t really separable for me.
Systems thinker, in the sense that I’d rather understand why something keeps breaking than fix it for the third time. It makes me deliberate at the start and fast once I can see the shape of the thing. Mostly worth it. And tell me when I’m wrong — I’d rather adjust than be polite about it.
Now
Navigating the second year as a dad while trying to make sense of where AI goes over the next few — both feel like they’re happening fast, both feel consequential.
Things I've made
Personal projects. Work is separate and not listed here.
Cadence (2026)— a personal speaking coach. Tap to record a meeting or practice session; the app transcribes in the background and surfaces patterns in your own voice — filler words, unclear sentences, the moments you trail off. Every weekday morning I get a short email with one specific thing to work on. English is my second language; I wanted objective data on whether I’m improving, not feelings. source.
True Mirror (2026)— the analysis Whoop charges $30/month for, from hardware you already own. Your Apple Watch collects everything: HRV, sleep quality, recovery patterns. Two-minute setup, then it just works. source.
tripsmith (2026)— a personal travel planner. You build your travel profile once — how you move, what you’ll spend, what you won’t compromise on. Every trip after that is generated against it, tailored to you, not a blank template. source.
Personal
The trip that stuck with me most was Peru in 2023 — the hike up to Machu Picchu. I like hiking, and do far less of it than I should. I’m not much of a cook, but I’ll happily eat my way through Indian, Japanese, Thai, Mexican, and Mediterranean, in roughly that order. Toronto is at its best in summer, when the whole city turns walkable and that’s most of the plan.
Lately I keep turning over how the AI wave actually plays out — and the strange luck of getting to work through a real technological turn instead of reading about one after the fact.