Meet The Team: Jacob Pitcher, Product Manager

Tell us a little about yourself, Jacob!

There’s really only one place to start: I live my life in the shadow of my pseudo-celebrity dog, Barney. Beyond that, I’m a proud uncle, an aspiring armchair philosopher, a struggling surfer, and a coffee enthusiast. I ask questions for a living, look for answers in my spare time, and am always on the lookout for the next smile.

‍How did you first get into product management?

Like most people who end up in product roles, I stumbled into it by accident. I was very lucky to start my career in sales development at Verafin, getting my first taste of what it was like to work at a tech company. From there I left to join HeyOrca! in the very early days, which exposed me to almost every facet of a software business. I got to try all kinds of things there: sales, marketing, customer success, management — you name it. Eventually we learned that managing a product is a full-time job and that product management is a discipline all on its own. And I was addicted from the start. Talking to customers, learning all about their processes and problems, and getting to collaborate with the rest of the business to solve them? What more could you want?

Why did you first join CoLab? What’s the most exciting thing about working here?

I’ve been plugged into the tech community in Newfoundland and Labrador ever since I finished up at MUNL back in 2014. Seeing this community grow, and being part of spreading the word on the opportunities that it brings, has always been important to me. Eventually when I left Newfoundland to come to Nova Scotia, I wanted to learn as much as I could from people that knew way more than I did about building and shipping software products. My long-term goal was always to bring the experience I gathered away from home, back home — and CoLab was the perfect opportunity to do just that. The most exciting part about working here is being a part of something that’s homegrown and has the potential to change the world. Full stop.

If you had to be shipwrecked on a deserted island, but all your human needs—such as food and water—were taken care of, what two items would you want to have with you?

Assuming I could keep him cool, my number 1 answer has to be Barney — my partner in crime. As for my second answer, I’d have to say a good book. Technically The Lord of the Rings is one book, so let’s go with that.

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