Product at Bisly is entering a new phase – one where clarity, focus, and scalability matter as much as speed. As we grow across markets, partners, and building types, product is no longer just about shipping features fast, but about building systems that work reliably at scale.
That’s why we are happy to welcome Rainar Essenson who joins Bisly as Product Manager with a mindset that fits this moment: ruthless focus on real problems, healthy scepticism toward gimmicks, and a strong instinct for simplifying complexity. Coming into building automation with fresh eyes is an advantage, it allows him to question legacy assumptions and design solutions that make sense for customers who are also navigating this space for the first time.
In a domain where software, hardware, and real buildings collide, that perspective is essential.
Product management often sits between users, technology, and business priorities. What made you excited to join Bisly and take on this role?
Bisly is in an industry that’s challenging for a newcomer to enter, both as an employee and as a business. Thus, I am mostly excited to join a small but well-established team. As a product person I naturally notice inefficiencies around me and feel compelled to fix them, so I enjoy the challenge of building product in a domain where I don’t (yet) have deep expertise. This means I’m not anchored to existing solutions and can approach the product with fresh eyes, making it more intuitive for customers who are also new to building automation.
Bisly connects software, hardware, and real-world buildings. What part of building products in such a physical–digital environment excites you the most?
Since childhood I wanted to be an inventor to figure out stuff that helps someone be faster, save money etc. In Bisly there’s a wide range of options where we can do that. I enjoy taking things from 0–1 and swimming in the unknowns.
What’s compelling about building automation is the potential, not just sensors with data, but systems smart enough to optimise a building before anyone has to think about it. That’s the gap worth closing.
I get restless when things stay the same too long, so with the combo of in-house knowhow and a strong commercial team, we can bring real change to a market that’s been slow to modernise.
As Bisly scales across new markets and building types, how do you see product decisions shaping that growth?
Bisly is at a critical phase where we need to transition from being a playful startup toddler to a scaleup teenager, so as an organisation this is the right time to join.
In the early phases we can keep things scrappy. But as we scale, we no longer have the excuse of being a startup and we don’t have the resources to handhold every customer either. That’s why product needs to scale and become the driver for revenue.
Product has to clearly address the pain of buyers, partners, and tenants and do it in a way that works repeatedly, not just once.
What’s one thing people outside product management usually underestimate about the role?
How stupid you can be as a product manager. The best PMs I’ve seen are the ones willing to ask the dumbest questions in the room “wait, why do we actually do it this way?” That’s where the real insights hide.
Looking a few years ahead, what would make you proud of the products you helped shape at Bisly?
Products that make money. That’s what it’s all about. A gold-plated supersensor that measures farts is cool, but if it doesn’t make money, it’s just a gimmick.
Product needs to fit the market and solve real problems. We can’t fix everything at once, so we need to focus on the right bets and if they don’t work, figure out new ones fast.
Professionally, I’d be excited to see what we can really do with AI. We’re in a position where we can validate problems fast, but we’re still learning how to get the most out of the engineering–design–product combo. And yes, I’d also be happy if I can commit a few PRs myself.
And of course, just as important: Bisly’s mission to reduce energy use in buildings and make the planet a better place. If I can do my part here, I’m more than proud.
Before we wrapped up, we asked Rainar a few quick questions — the kind that reveal how someone actually thinks when no system is on fire (yet):
- Best way to reset your brain? Lunch at Port Desino and a 20-minute walk.
- Roadmap planning or user interviews? User interviews. Every day.
- One product principle you always stand by? What problem are we actually solving?
- A product or leadership lesson you return to again and again? If you don’t try, you don’t know.
- Early bird or night owl? Early bird.
- Most underrated PM skill? Common sense over frameworks.
- Favourite product newsletter / podcast or Substack? Lenny’s Newsletter. Still the best.
As we grow into new markets and new building types, product will play a central role in making our technology intuitive, scalable, and commercially successful. With Rainar on the team, we’re doubling down on a simple idea: build products that solve real problems, create real value, and actually get used.
Welcome to Bisly, Rainar! Let’s build things that matter.