For more on building AI products and careers, along with early course announcement and special pricing, subscribe to the AI Career Boost mailing list at https://aicareerboost.com/interested

THE GUEST

Kirstin Maurer is a healthcare and AI product leader with more than 18 years of experience building enterprise software, digital health platforms, and AI-powered products. During her time at Truepill, she helped scale a $20M telehealth platform and introduced generative AI capabilities that reduced post-call documentation time by 75%. Today, she is the founder of ALS Care Companion, an AI platform designed to provide people living with ALS and their caregivers with trusted, accessible support 24/7. Drawing on both professional expertise and personal experience with ALS in her own family, Kirstin is building technology that addresses real-world healthcare challenges.

THE SUMMARY

In this episode of AI Product Leader, Kirstin shares how her family's experience with ALS inspired her to create ALS Care Companion, an AI-powered care navigation platform built from more than 67 trusted medical and advocacy sources. She explains why generative AI makes it possible for individuals to tackle meaningful problems that may not have been commercially viable just a few years ago, and why healthcare remains full of opportunities for AI to improve patient and caregiver experiences.

Kirstin also reflects on her own transition into AI, from casually using tools for research and brainstorming to diving deep into hands-on experimentation, taking courses, and launching a production system used by dozens of families. She discusses how building something tangible transformed her confidence, helped her secure her first director-level role, and gave her a compelling story to share in interviews.

Throughout the conversation, Kirstin offers practical advice for product leaders looking to grow their AI skills: choose a problem you genuinely care about, start building before you feel ready, and learn through experimentation. Whether you're trying to break into AI, advance your career, or create products with meaningful impact, this episode provides a candid look at what it takes to turn curiosity into real-world experience.

THE SHOW

Weekly conversations with the AI’s top product leaders. Join Polly Allen as she discovers the paths to success in the world of AI.

THE LINKS

Have a question you want us to answer? Send it through to support@aicareerboost.com

Courtney Kingsbury
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirstin-hartos-maurer/
ALS Care Companion: https://www.linkedin.com/company/als-care-companion/
Empower Your Digital Journey: Cybersecurity Basics & AI Tools for the ALS Community: https://www.als.org/webinars/empower-your-digital-journey-cybersecurity-basics-ai-tools-als-community

My links
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/pollymallen/⁠
AI Career Boost: ⁠https://www.aicareerboost.com/⁠

For more on building AI products and careers, along with early course announcement and special pricing, subscribe to the AI Career Boost mailing list at https://aicareerboost.com/interested

THE GUEST

Nico Posner, VP of Product Management at Q3D Sensing and a veteran product leader whose career spans some of the world’s most innovative companies, including LinkedIn, eBay, Clover, and Xero.

Nico has spent years leading technology and AI-driven product innovation across industries, helping scale products from early-stage concepts to global adoption. At Q3D Sensing, he’s now focused on the next frontier of AI: capturing and digitizing the real world through advanced LiDAR and spatial sensing technology.

With deep experience in AI, predictive analytics, product strategy, and emerging technology, Nico brings a unique perspective on how real-world data is becoming the foundation for the next generation of AI systems, robotics, construction tech, digital twins, and spatial computing.

THE SUMMARY

What happens when AI moves beyond text and begins interacting with the physical world?

Nico Posner breaks down why the future of AI depends on accurate, real-world spatial data — and how LiDAR technology is unlocking entirely new possibilities across industries.

The conversation explores the launch of Q3D Sensing’s new OraGo 3D reality capture LiDAR sensor and why accessible, affordable spatial sensing could become a foundational layer for AI-powered workflows. Nico explains how modern LiDAR systems work, why current enterprise solutions are often too expensive or impractical, and how new tools are democratizing access to high-quality 3D data capture.

Polly and Nico also dive into:

• The growing role of real-world data in AI systems
• How LiDAR enables digital twins, robotics, construction intelligence, and spatial computing
• The difference between consumer-grade scanning and professional LiDAR systems
• Why edge processing and on-device rendering matter for enterprise workflows
• How AI is accelerating innovation, product strategy, research, and operations
• The future of AI-powered infrastructure, warehouses, and physical environments
• Lessons from building products at both startups and global technology companies
• The importance of solving real customer pain points when developing AI products

This is a fascinating look at the intersection of AI, hardware, spatial computing, and product innovation — and why the next wave of AI breakthroughs may depend less on prompts and more on understanding the physical world around us.

THE SHOW

Weekly conversations with the AI’s top product leaders. Join Polly Allen as she discovers the paths to success in the world of AI.

THE LINKS

Have a question you want us to answer? Send it through to support@aicareerboost.com

Nico Posner
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoposner/

Q3D Sensing Website: https://www.q3dsensing.com/

Q3D Sensing LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/q3d-sensing/

My links
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/pollymallen/⁠

AI Career Boost: ⁠https://www.aicareerboost.com/⁠