Build Technology for Conservation Impact

Company Context

WildGuard is a Series B conservation technology company that sells software and connected tools to NGOs, park authorities, and environmental field teams across 18 countries. Its products include a mobile app for rangers, a dashboard for conservation managers, and integrations for camera traps, GPS collars, and satellite imagery.

Problem

WildGuard's leadership believes technology can play a much larger role in conservation, but the company is spread too thin across many ideas: species tracking, anti-poaching alerts, volunteer engagement, carbon monitoring, and donor reporting. Revenue has grown to $24M ARR, but customer retention among small NGOs is only 72%, and product usage data shows that fewer than 35% of customers actively use more than one core workflow each month.

The CEO wants a clear product direction for the next 12 months: should WildGuard focus on field operations, biodiversity monitoring, public engagement, or reporting/compliance? You are the PM leading this effort.

Deliverables

1. Define the most important user segment WildGuard should prioritize first and explain why.
2. Articulate what role technology should play in conservation, including where it adds value and where it should not replace human judgment.
3. Propose an MVP product direction with 3-5 prioritized features.
4. Define success metrics and how you would validate product-market fit.
5. Identify the biggest trade-offs and risks in your recommendation.

Constraints

• 12-month roadmap with a fixed product budget of $6M
• Engineering team of 14; limited ML and geospatial expertise
• Customers often operate in low-connectivity environments
• Conservation outcomes are long-term and hard to measure directly
• Must support both nonprofit buyers and government agencies with strict data sensitivity requirements