I’m Yoel Frischoff, Principal at TheRoad, a product strategy consultancy. I help companies turn physical products into connected platforms by combining hardware, software, and services into products that continue creating value long after they ship.

Over the past 35+ years, I’ve helped bring more than ten connected products to market across consumer electronics, professional equipment, medical devices, security systems, mobility, and EdTech.

My background in industrial design gives me a perspective that’s uncommon in product strategy. I bridge the realities of the physical product - engineering, manufacturing, operations, maintainability, and unit economics - with the strategic decisions that determine market success: positioning, product architecture, business models, and customer value. That systems-level view helps teams make decisions that remain sound from concept through scale.

I work as a strategic partner to founders and product leaders, often as a Fractional CPO or through a dedicated Product Task Force. Whether defining product strategy, validating new opportunities, shaping connected platforms, or leading critical product decisions through execution, I work alongside teams to turn strategy into shipped products. I also mentor founders, product managers, and product leaders on product strategy, connected products, hardware product management, and platform thinking.

I’m the author of Tangibles: How Software Turns Hardware into Platforms (2026), a practical guide to building connected products that create lasting customer relationships and durable business value. Its companion site, tangibles-book.com, extends the book with interactive tools, calculators, AI assistants, templates, and continuously updated references, demonstrating the same principle it advocates: extending a physical product with a living software layer.

I can help with:

* Product strategy, platform strategy, positioning, and business model design
* Connected products, digital services, and recurring value creation
* Product validation and reducing hardware execution risk
* Fractional CPO leadership and Product Task Forces for critical initiatives
* Mentoring founders and product leaders navigating hardware, software, and platform transitions

Best suited for:

* Founders building products where hardware meets software
* Companies evolving from one-time hardware sales to connected platform businesses
* Product leaders integrating software, AI, or services into physical products
* Teams that need experienced strategic product leadership with hands-on execution