Full-Time
Hardware Product Manager
Updated on 8/23/2026
Pano AI
201-500 employees
AI-powered early wildfire detection platform
Compensation Overview
$190k - $230k/yr
San Francisco, CA, USA + 1 more
More locations: United States
Hybrid
Hybrid work environment.
 Product (2) |
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- 8+ years of product management experience, including at least 3 years focused on hardware products such as cameras, sensors, Internet of Things devices, embedded systems, or ruggedized field-deployed devices.
- A track record of taking multiple hardware products from concept or early development through mass production, including experience with Engineering Validation Test, Design Validation Test, and Production Validation Test build cycles and manufacturing ramp.
- Strong technical fluency in hardware development, including reviewing schematics, engaging with electrical and mechanical engineers, reading firmware requirements, and interpreting test data.
- Experience owning product requirements documents and hardware specifications in a cross-functional environment, including managing requirements changes and version control across design iterations.
- Familiarity with bill of materials cost management, supply chain tradeoffs, and contract manufacturing or original design manufacturer/original equipment manufacturer partnerships.
- Ability to operate autonomously in a fast-paced, resource-constrained startup environment while managing multiple concurrent workstreams and establishing processes where none exist.
- Strong communication and documentation skills, including writing product specifications and status updates and translating technical hardware details for non-technical stakeholders.
- Ability to present to and collaborate with executive leadership in a high-stakes, high-visibility environment.
- Own product requirements and hardware specifications for new product introduction initiatives, ensuring requirements are precise, complete, and traceable throughout each development lifecycle.
- Partner with hardware engineering, quality, and manufacturing teams to define, prioritize, and refine product requirements based on cost, performance, reliability, and schedule tradeoffs.
- Lead customer and field discovery sessions to validate requirements, identify pain points from fire agency operators and field technicians, and translate insights into actionable specifications.
- Collaborate with supply chain, operations, and contract manufacturing partners to ensure new products are manufacturable, sustainably sourced, and deployable at scale across diverse environmental conditions.
- Drive new product introduction program milestones with hardware engineering by tracking Engineering Validation Test, Design Validation Test, and Production Validation Test build cycles, flagging risks, and coordinating go/no-go decisions with leadership.
- Define hardware acceptance criteria, test coverage requirements, and field pilot success metrics to validate deployment readiness.
- Partner with software and artificial intelligence teams to capture, prioritize, and deliver firmware, connectivity, and platform integration requirements alongside hardware milestones.
- Manage bill of materials and launch cost targets, identify cost-reduction opportunities, and drive tradeoff decisions aligned with commercial and margin objectives.
- Establish and continuously improve the new product introduction playbook, including repeatable processes, templates, and stage gates for moving hardware products from concept to field deployment.
- Present hardware roadmap status, risks, and decisions to senior leadership, operations, and go-to-market stakeholders.
- Experience with outdoor, ruggedized, or field-deployed hardware, particularly cameras, panoramic imaging systems, or remote sensing devices.
- Familiarity with connectivity technologies for remote field deployments, including Long-Term Evolution/5G, Long Range, satellite backhaul, or solar-powered edge devices.
- Experience in climate technology, public safety, infrastructure, or government and utility technology products.
- Background in optical systems, image quality optimization, or computer vision hardware.
- Experience establishing or scaling a new product introduction function or zero-to-one hardware product initiatives, including founding or scaling a hardware-focused startup.
- Passion for climate resilience, wildfire prevention, environmental protection, or public safety.
Pano.ai builds an AI-powered wildfire detection platform for fire departments and first responders. Its system, Pano Rapid Detect, processes feeds from ultra-high-definition cameras, satellites, and field sensors to spot wildfires early and send real-time alerts. Pano Stations on high points use 360-degree cameras and edge AI to detect, verify, and classify wildfire events within a 15-mile area, integrating multiple data sources. The goal is to help fire professionals respond faster and protect lives and property.
Company Size
201-500
Company Stage
Series B
Total Funding
$89M
Headquarters
San Francisco, California
Founded
2019
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Pano said it monitored 50 million acres and alerted on 735 vegetation fires in 2025.
- Colorado Springs Utilities deployed Stanley Canyon; Xcel operated 123 Pano cameras statewide by November 2025.
- The U.S. Air Force Academy moved toward sole-sourcing Pano AI by April 4, 2026.
What critics are saying
- Colorado Springs' public plan omits Stanley Canyon, while residents challenge Pano's imagery access and ownership.
- Pano's terms claim ownership of 'the data it produces,' inviting procurement and privacy fights.
- A single catastrophic false negative or privacy scandal can trigger utility offboarding and federal scrutiny.
What makes Pano AI unique
- Pano fuses 360-degree cameras, AI, and incident software for wildfire detection, not just alerts.
- June 2026 Technosylva integration unites predictive spread modeling with live smoke verification.
- February 2026 Western Weather Group partnership adds hyperlocal wind, humidity, and temperature context.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Unlimited Paid Time Off
401(k) Retirement Plan
401(k) Company Match
Stock Options
Paid Vacation
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↓ -2%1 year growth
↓ -2%2 year growth
↓ -2%Colorado Springs Utilities put a Pano AI camera west of the Air Force Academy. The United States Air Force Academy's 10th Contracting Squadron filed a federal notice of intent to sole source an AI-enabled wildfire and smoke detection service to Pano AI, Inc., with an anticipated award date of April 4, 2026. Colorado Springs Utilities had disclosed its own Pano AI station in Stanley Canyon on March 17, 2026. The two procurements are separate, and the federal government classified the Academy's under the code for Security Systems Services. Kim Monson Newsroom July 29, 2026 0:00 / 9:43 The Kim Monson Community Members get a front-row seat. Live town halls with Kim's guests are open to every member; classes are included with Monticello & Mount Vernon membership. The Federalist Papers · Class 4 The states broke it. Can the constitution fix it? with Allen Thomas · Instructor Thursday, August 13 · 7:45 PM · Online Monticello & Mount Vernon members The Federalist Papers · Class 5 Keep your friends close and the other branches closer. with Allen Thomas · Instructor Thursday, August 20 · 7:45 PM · Online Monticello & Mount Vernon members The Federalist Papers · Class 6 Trust issues. with Allen Thomas · Instructor Thursday, August 27 · 7:45 PM · Online Monticello & Mount Vernon members COLORADO SPRINGS - Colorado Springs Utilities has an artificial intelligence wildfire detection camera built by Pano AI operating in Stanley Canyon, west of the United States Air Force Academy. The utility disclosed the deployment in a March 17, 2026 post on its own blog, describing "a state-of-the-art Pano AI station" and "high-tech digital lookout" that scans for smoke "24 hours a day, 360 degrees at a time" and shares what it finds in real time with regional and statewide first responder agencies. The Academy's own 10th Contracting Squadron filed a federal notice of intent to sole source an "AI-Enabled Wildfire and Smoke Detection System service" to Pano AI, Inc., setting an anticipated award date of April 4, 2026, about two and a half weeks after the utility's post. The utility's camera and the Academy's intended contract are separate transactions by separate buyers, and the federal government classified its own under North American Industry Classification System code 561621, Security Systems Services. Mike Rawluk, an engaged citizen with the Ralston Valley Coalition who tracks local government in Colorado communities, brought the station to The Kim Monson Show on the July 29, 2026 broadcast, asking who holds the imagery, how many people can see it on the back end, and whether a company doing a job the government once did should answer to the public the way an agency does. Academy contracting officers set an anticipated award date of April 4, 2026. The filing states that the squadron "intends to award a Firm-Fixed-Priced sole source award to PANO AI, Inc." Filed as a presolicitation special notice under Federal Acquisition Regulation subpart 5.1, it carries a prominent disclaimer that it "is not a solicitation or request for proposal." Responses were due by 2 p.m. Mountain time on April 4, 2026. No confirmation that the award was made, no contract value and no period of performance has been published since. Pano AI's published terms reserve to the company "the data it produces" Pano AI's Terms of Service, effective November 12, 2025, address ownership. "You understand that Pano owns the Services," the terms read. "Title to all patents, copyrights, trade secrets, and other intellectual property rights in or related to the Services (including all of its component parts and the data it produces, but not including third party Content or services) are and will remain the exclusive property of Pano." The terms never define what "the data it produces" includes. Those are the public terms, and the same document provides that a specific term of a signed enterprise agreement "shall take precedence" over a conflicting term here. Colorado Springs Utilities has not published its agreement with Pano AI, so what the utility negotiated on ownership, retention and access cannot be reported. The company's Product Specific Terms set limits on how customers may use the service. Users "may not use the Services for surveillance of individuals," and they "may only use Optical Zoom when there is a suspected or actual fire incident or for other safety or emergency reasons." Those limits are contractual, and the product line carries a six-megapixel dual camera configuration with 30x optical zoom that Pano AI's product page says generates a "360-degree panoramic view" every minute. Pano AI onboards the agencies and gives first responders free access to stations in their region. The same product page says the company "fully manages outreach, onboarding, and ongoing training of local, state, and federal agencies for incident response, providing them with free access to Pano 360 and stations in their region." Sonia Kastner, co-founder and chief executive officer of Pano AI, described that model on the My Climate Journey podcast in January 2023. "Pano's technology uses automated modern day SaaS alerting tools to notify an infinite number of users at the same time of that fire," Kastner said. Colorado Springs Utilities says the Stanley Canyon station's real-time data goes directly to the Colorado Springs Fire Department, the U.S. Forest Service, and, in its words, "numerous other regional and statewide first responder agencies." How many accounts can see this particular camera has not been published. Colorado Springs Utilities' Wildfire Mitigation Plan, dated January 31, 2025, does not mention the Stanley Canyon station. Colorado Springs Utilities calls the station "a part of our Wildfire Mitigation Plan" and points readers to the plan itself. That published plan is dated January 31, 2025, more than 13 months before the announcement, and its full text contains no occurrence of Pano, of Stanley, or of the terms artificial intelligence, machine learning or smoke detection. An updated plan may exist, though none has been published, so the document the utility cites is silent on the camera's siting, data handling and retention. Three Colorado wildfire detection bills died before reaching the governor. Colorado's legislature took up state-run wildfire detection three times and declined each time. SB23-032, the Wildfire Detection Technology Pilot Program, passed the Senate in April 2023 and was laid over unamended in House Appropriations on May 11, 2023. SB25-022, Applying Artificial Intelligence to Fight Wildfire, was postponed indefinitely on a 9-0 vote in Senate Transportation and Energy on January 29, 2025, three weeks after it was introduced. SB25-011, Detection Components for Wildfire Mitigation, prime sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Daugherty among others, would have let the Division of Fire Prevention and Control seek qualifications from private vendors. It passed the full Senate on April 25, 2025 and was laid over unamended in House Appropriations on May 13, 2025. Xcel Energy had 123 Pano AI cameras running across Colorado by November 2025. Xcel Energy committed in 2023 to 21 two-camera stations under a five-year contract valued at an estimated $5.25 million, with the cost recovered in customer rates, according to the Colorado Sun. By November 2025 it had 123 Pano AI cameras active statewide, working within "a 10-mile radius, or farther depending on conditions," the Steamboat Pilot & Today reported. Rawluk applies a state actor test to companies doing the Forest Service's former job. The phrase the utility chose, "digital lookout," describes a job the Forest Service once filled with people posted in towers, and Rawluk built his argument on that lineage. His test is whether a private company under contract performs a role normally given to a government agency. He described the arrangement in layers, with Pano AI at one end, a utility or a ski resort or a homeowners association in the middle, and a government agency as the end user of the alerts. Kastner said on the podcast that the company sells to fire agencies at every level of government, to power utilities, and to "private landowners, such as ski resorts and timber companies." Colorado Springs Utilities did not disclose the pole the station sits on or its coordinates. Measuring from the center of Stanley Canyon, Rawluk put the site about a mile and a half from the Barry Goldwater Visitor Center at the Academy. The Kim Monson Show has reported on other camera networks spreading through Colorado communities, including Fort Collins dropping Flock Safety as the license plate readers expanded elsewhere and the apology from Flock's chief executive after he called activists mapping his cameras terroristic. The questions Rawluk raised in Colorado Springs remain open, because the utility has not published its contract and no public statement from the Academy addresses commercial camera coverage of the installation. The utility has said it plans to add more stations, writing in the same post that "Stanley Canyon is just the beginning" and that "we are already evaluating more locations for future AI stations to expand this safety net across our region."
Pano AI, a wildfire detection company, has announced an expansion of its AI-powered platform for electric utilities and emergency managers at EEI 2026. The new capabilities include enhanced fire detection, spread prediction and improved coordination between utilities and emergency services. In 2025, Pano alerted on 735 vegetation fires and was first to detect more than half of them. The platform now monitors over 50 million acres using a training database of more than 4 billion images. The 2026 release introduces daytime and nighttime AI detection models, predictive fire-behaviour modelling through Technosylva integration, and Time to Arrival estimates for critical assets. New features include an Operations Centre View for real-time monitoring, NOAA weather data integration, and location-based incident notifications with geofenced alerts. The expansion comes as federal forecasters predict above-normal fire activity across much of the US this summer.
Pano AI expands its wildfire offerings to help utilities and emergency managers. by GlobeNewswire Jun 04, 2026 12:19 am New AI detection models, predictive integrations, and situational-awareness tools give electric utilities more time - and better information - to protect the grid and the communities they serve LAS VEGAS, June 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Pano AI, the leader in AI-powered wildfire detection, today announced a major expansion of its capabilities for electric utilities and emergency managers at EEI 2026, the electric power industry's premier annual convention. The new capabilities help stakeholders spot fires sooner and gauge how each one is likely to spread. They also help utilities coordinate with emergency management officials and get critical information to crews on the ground faster. The expansion arrives as utilities brace for a summer that federal forecasters expect to bring above-normal fire activity across much of the country. The expansion builds on a year of measurable results. In 2025, Pano alerted on 735 vegetation fires and was the first known alert more than half of the time, drawing on a platform that now monitors more than 50 million acres, a training database of over 4 billion images, and a portfolio of six patents spanning panoramic imaging, geolocation, and map-based visualization. According to the National Interagency Fire Center's latest outlook, significant wildland fire potential is forecast to be above normal across large portions of the West this summer, with persistent drought and developing El Niño shaping conditions. For electric utilities - which carry growing responsibility to reduce ignition risk and maintain reliable service - earlier detection and shared situational awareness can give crews the time they need to keep a new ignition small, regardless of its cause. Those utilities partner with emergency management teams around the country to coordinate when fires are detected. Pano's 2026 summer utility release focuses on three areas: * Earlier detection, intelligent signals. Pano's new daytime and nighttime AI detection models sharpen how quickly and reliably smoke is identified across varied terrain and changing light. A new Technosylva integration adds predictive fire-behavior modeling on top of live detection, so a utility sees both where a fire is and where it's likely to move. Time to Arrival, now in early access, estimates when a fire could reach critical assets. New lightning and "zoom to lightning" workflows (early access), together with a new Western Weather Group integration, bring weather and ignition-risk context directly into the platform, and new private map layers let utilities overlay their own infrastructure data. * Smarter situational awareness for complex operations. A new Operations Center View gives utility and emergency operations teams a shared, real-time picture of unfolding conditions across large and complex territories. Integrated NOAA weather data, a new thermal hotspot layer, and new FAA flight tracking that covers helicopters and aircraft give teams more to work with as conditions change. * Targeted alerts, tighter coordination. New location-rich incident notifications, a chronological incident timeline with collaborative comments, and new county-based alert areas with geofenced notifications ensure the right teams are informed quickly and precisely. New prescribed-burn context reduces unnecessary alerts, and new network-sharing capabilities let neighboring agencies and utilities gain visibility across boundaries. "Utilities are working hand in hand with emergency managers to mitigate wildfire risk, and the teams protecting our grid deserve the best tools we can build," said Sonia Kastner, co-founder and CEO of Pano AI. "From day one, we've worked to help utilities work with emergency managers by giving them an unparalleled system of action - it means not only early detection, but the context to understand the assets nearby, anticipate the fire's spread, and a platform that helps get the right resources moving quickly." Pano is showcasing these capabilities at EEI 2026 in Las Vegas this week, meeting with utility leaders working to reduce wildfire risk and strengthen grid resilience across their service territories. The new capabilities are subject to commercial partnerships and commercial engagement. About Pano AI Pano AI is the leader in AI-powered wildfire detection. Launched in 2020, the company provides advanced early detection and situational awareness solutions to fire agencies, utilities, governments, and private landholders to help protect people, property, and infrastructure from catastrophic wildfires. With deployments across the U.S., Canada, and Australia, Pano AI is building a new standard for real-time wildfire intelligence. To learn more, visit www.pano.ai or follow the company on LinkedIn. MEDIA CONTACT
Pano AI and Western Weather Group have announced a partnership to integrate AI-powered wildfire detection with real-time weather data for utilities and fire agencies. The collaboration enables utilities to view weather station data—including wind speed, direction, humidity and temperature—directly within Pano's wildfire intelligence platform. When smoke is detected, operators can immediately assess hyperlocal weather conditions on the same screen, viewing both current observations and conditions at the time of ignition. The unified system allows utilities to evaluate fire behaviour potential, prioritise response resources and determine whether preemptive de-energisation is warranted within minutes of detection. By consolidating visual confirmation and ground-level weather data in one platform, the integration aims to accelerate critical decision-making during time-sensitive wildfire response situations. Xcel Energy is currently a customer of both companies.
Pano AI and Western Weather Group announce partnership to deliver real-time Situational Awareness for utilities and fire agencies. The integration combines AI-powered early detection with real-time weather data to accelerate utility and emergency response decisions. February 04, 2026 12:00 ET | Source: Pano AI SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Pano AI, the leading provider of AI-powered wildfire detection technology, and Western Weather Group (WWG), a premier provider of specialized weather forecasting, hardware, and monitoring solutions for utilities and energy companies, today announced a strategic partnership to deliver enhanced real-time situational awareness for utilities and fire agencies. "My team is now better equipped to determine threat levels to our infrastructure and coordinate protective measures before a small ignition becomes a major..." "The future of wildfire mitigation depends on bringing the industry's best technologies together in the moments that matter most," "By partnering with Western Weather Group, we're ensuring that when a fire is first detected, utilities have immediate access to the critical intelligence..." "Wildfire decisions are made in minutes, not hours, and hinge on local conditions," "Integrating WWG's weather station data into Pano's platform ensures that when smoke is detected, utilities instantly understand the ground-level weather..." "This partnership represents exactly the kind of integrated intelligence approach utilities need to stay ahead of wildfire risk," "My team is now better equipped to determine threat levels to our infrastructure and coordinate protective measures before a small ignition becomes a major..." "The future of wildfire mitigation depends on bringing the industry's best technologies together in the moments that matter most," "By partnering with Western Weather Group, we're ensuring that when a fire is first detected, utilities have immediate access to the critical intelligence..." "Wildfire decisions are made in minutes, not hours, and hinge on local conditions," "Integrating WWG's weather station data into Pano's platform ensures that when smoke is detected, utilities instantly understand the ground-level weather..." "This partnership represents exactly the kind of integrated intelligence approach utilities need to stay ahead of wildfire risk," "My team is now better equipped to determine threat levels to our infrastructure and coordinate protective measures before a small ignition becomes a major..." The partnership enables utilities to view WWG weather station data - including wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity, and temperature - directly within Pano 360, Pano's wildfire intelligence platform. When Pano detects smoke, operators can immediately assess hyperlocal weather conditions on the same screen, viewing both current observations and conditions at the time of ignition without switching between systems. This unified intelligence view accelerates critical decisions. Utilities can quickly evaluate fire behavior potential, prioritize response resources, and determine whether conditions warrant preemptive de-energization - all within minutes of detection. By consolidating visual confirmation and ground-level weather data in a single platform, the integration enables faster, more confident decisions during the most time-sensitive moments of wildfire response. "The future of wildfire mitigation depends on bringing the industry's best technologies together in the moments that matter most," said Arvind Satyam, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer at Pano. "By partnering with Western Weather Group, we're ensuring that when a fire is first detected, utilities have immediate access to the critical intelligence they need to make informed decisions. This kind of collaboration elevates the entire industry and, most importantly, delivers better outcomes for the communities and infrastructure our customers protect." "Wildfire decisions are made in minutes, not hours, and hinge on local conditions," said Steve Miller, Chief Strategy Officer at Western Weather Group. "Integrating WWG's weather station data into Pano's platform ensures that when smoke is detected, utilities instantly understand the ground-level weather driving the event. When visual confirmation and real-time weather intelligence converge, utilities can make faster, more informed decisions to better protect communities and critical infrastructure." As a customer of both companies, Xcel Energy exemplifies the value of this integration. "This partnership represents exactly the kind of integrated intelligence approach utilities need to stay ahead of wildfire risk," said Michael Haydon, Director of Wildfire Mitigation Situational Awareness at Xcel Energy. "My team is now better equipped to determine threat levels to our infrastructure and coordinate protective measures before a small ignition becomes a major incident." About Pano AI Pano AI is the leader in AI-powered wildfire detection. Launched in 2020, the company provides advanced early detection and situational awareness solutions to fire agencies, utilities, governments and private landholders to help protect people, property, and infrastructure from catastrophic wildfires. With deployments across the U.S., Canada, and Australia, Pano AI is building a new standard for real-time wildfire intelligence. To learn more, visit www.pano.ai or follow the company on LinkedIn. About Western Weather Group Western Weather Group (WWG) delivers precision weather monitoring, forecasting, and risk-mitigation solutions for electric utilities, agriculture, and other weather-sensitive industries. For more than 20 years, WWG has combined durable, high-accuracy weather stations with decision-ready intelligence to help clients manage risk, improve performance, and meet regulatory requirements. Headquartered in Chico, California, WWG provides end-to-end weather station solutions, from design and installation to calibration, data management, and ongoing support, enabling organizations to operate safely, efficiently, and with confidence. To learn more, visit westernwx.com or follow Western Weather Group on LinkedIn. Media Contact: Jennifer Spoerri (415) 577-0171