Product & AI Innovation Studio

Start with
the workflow.

Karstline helps organizations turn operational complexity into product opportunity—with practical AI, product strategy, and the instincts of experienced builders.

WORKFLOW / SIGNAL MAPLIVE
OBSERVEFRICTIONOUTCOME ↗
OBSERVEREAL WORKMEASUREREAL OUTCOMES

Better products come from better understanding.

Most firms start withtechnology.
Karstline starts withpeople.
Most firms deliverrecommendations.
Karstline deliversclarity.

From difficult problem
to useful product.

We step into ambiguity, get close to the work, use data to separate signal from noise, and help teams build practical solutions that scale.

01

Product Discovery

Get close to the work. Find the operational friction. Define the problem actually worth solving.

WHEN TO CALL US

A team has symptoms, requests, or competing ideas—but no shared definition of the problem.

WHAT WE DO TOGETHER

We walk the workflow with operators and customers, map the system, test assumptions against data, and size the opportunity before prescribing technology.

WHAT YOU LEAVE WITH

A decision-ready problem brief, prioritized opportunities, product concepts, and a clear next experiment.

02

AI Opportunity Assessment

Separate useful automation from theater. Identify where AI can remove friction and create measurable value.

WHEN TO CALL US

Leaders know AI matters, but need to distinguish real value from attractive demos and disconnected pilots.

WHAT WE DO TOGETHER

We decompose the work into decisions, handoffs, and repeatable tasks; assess data and operating readiness; then identify where AI can augment or automate responsibly.

WHAT YOU LEAVE WITH

A ranked opportunity portfolio, readiness gaps, automation roadmap, and practical build-versus-buy guidance.

03

Product Strategy

Decide what to build, why now, how small the first version can be, and how success will be measured.

WHEN TO CALL US

A product has executive attention but lacks a sharp value proposition, smallest viable scope, or credible success measure.

WHAT WE DO TOGETHER

We connect customer need, business value, operational reality, and technical constraints—then challenge the metric until it measures the outcome that matters.

WHAT YOU LEAVE WITH

A focused strategy, MVP boundary, sequenced roadmap, decision principles, KPIs, and operating model.

04

Executive Advisory

Practical counsel from an operator who has led through platform change, AI adoption, and product transformation.

WHEN TO CALL US

An executive team is navigating platform modernization, product transformation, AI adoption, or a high-stakes portfolio decision.

WHAT WE DO TOGETHER

We bring an independent operator’s perspective, facilitate hard tradeoffs, coach leaders, and turn ambiguity into decisions teams can execute.

WHAT YOU LEAVE WITH

Sharper choices, aligned leadership, clearer accountability, and a practical path from intent to scaled execution.

No innovation theater.

01

Start with the workflow.

Technology is rarely the problem. Understanding how people actually work is.

02

Data keeps us honest.

Measure what matters. Avoid vanity metrics. Find the signal.

03

AI should do real work.

Remove friction and simplify work—not create another dashboard.

04

Build before debating.

Prototype quickly. Validate early. Kill weak ideas and scale strong ones.

BUILDER / OPERATOR / TEACHER

Doug Ryner

Software developer turned product executive. Builder at heart.

Doug Ryner, founder of Karstline
PORTRAIT / 001DOUG RYNER

Doug spent 25+ years at Walmart building and leading products where technology meets the real world—from checkout and Scan & Go to computer vision, supply chain, and enterprise platform modernization.

He brings an operator’s respect for constraints, a product leader’s focus on outcomes, and a builder’s instinct to make the idea tangible.

25+years building at Walmart
16U.S. patents as named inventor
CHECKOUTSCAN & GOCOMPUTER VISIONAISUPPLY CHAINPLATFORMS

Deep operational context.
Broad application.

RetailGrocerySupply ChainLogisticsEnterprise SoftwareConsumer Products

Advice is the entry point.
Building is the destination.

Karstline is designed to evolve—from helping organizations find their next product to incubating AI tools, workflow automation, retail software, and new ventures of our own.

What’s the hard problem
your team keeps working around?

Let’s talk