CLIENT RECOMMENDATIONS & PROFESSIONAL ENDORSEMENT

Verified recommendations from founders, executives, investors, and product leaders who have worked directly with Smartware Advisors.

These recommendations reflect real engagements across product strategy, product development, manufacturing, execution recovery, and leadership. They are drawn from verified LinkedIn profiles and represent decades of hands-on collaboration across startups, accelerators, OEMs, and global enterprises.

Smartware Advisors is trusted when product clarity matters most—before scaling, during execution breakdowns, or when navigating complex technical and organizational decisions.

Waqar continues to be an asset for HardTech founders at Centrepolis and across the broader HardTech ecosystem in Michigan. His experience bringing new-to-the-world products to life—from established OEMs to bleeding-edge EV startups—gives founders invaluable insight into the realities of product development.

His particular strength lies in translating complex customer needs into clear, actionable product requirements—an essential capability for early-stage teams navigating uncertainty.

I can recommend without hesitation his services and experience to any founder or established company bringing a new product to life.

— Phillip, Early-Stage Venture Builder & Investor
HardTech · DeepTech · ClimateTech

Engagement Focus:Product Requirements · Customer Needs Translation · New Product Introduction · HardTech & EV Systems

A well-seasoned leader with high IQ and EQ. An absolutely trusted mentor, advisor, and technical collaborator.

— Daniel, Founder & CEO
ClimateTech Startup · Techstars Water Cohort

Engagement Focus:Founder Advisory · Technical Strategy · Early-Stage Product Leadership

Waqar has a rare ability to turn concepts into market-ready products with disciplined product and project planning. His depth across product innovation, manufacturing, and commercialization makes him a standout partner for teams building real, complex systems.

Through his work with the Centrepolis Accelerator, Waqar consistently helped startups rapidly assess what “good” looks like in product development, then translate that into actionable strategies. His meticulous approach and practical guidance enabled founders to overcome technical challenges and stay on track toward key commercialization milestones.

Beyond technical excellence, Waqar is an exceptional mentor—approachable, collaborative, and committed to helping entrepreneurs make confident decisions when the path isn’t obvious.

— Dan Radomski, CEO

Centrepolis Accelerator (LTU)

Engagement Focus:

Product Development Strategy · Manufacturing Readiness · Commercialization Planning · Founder Mentorship

With Waqar’s expert assistance, my startup was able to use data to clearly articulate our system’s design intent. As a technical advisor, he helped us create a balanced analytical model that strengthened our early technical gate reviews.

Beyond technical insight, Waqar has a unique ability to coach founders through the emotional highs and lows of product development. As a first-time founder, having trusted, independent technical leadership was exceptionally validating.

— Daniel, Founder & CEO
Industrial Sustainability & Water Technology

Engagement Focus:Technical Advisory · System Modeling · Design Reviews · Founder Coaching

Waqar’s engineering knowledge and extensive automotive experience were key to building and empowering strong teams. He is calm under pressure—one of the most critical leadership skills in complex environments.

His ability to listen, think methodically, and guide teams through design decisions earned trust quickly and consistently.

— Donna, CEO & Board Member
Global Engineering & Innovation Leader

Engagement Focus:Executive Leadership · Team Enablement · Engineering Decision-Making

Waqar is a remarkably well-rounded engineering leader with the knowledge and temperament to guide seasoned technical teams. He brought fresh perspective during a difficult period while never losing sight of the business case.

After his departure, the sentiment among leadership was unanimous: “We really need Waqar.”

— Anthony, Head of Engineering
EV & Automotive Programs

Engagement Focus:Engineering Leadership · Business Alignment · Turnaround Support

Waqar combines deep engineering first principles with the ability to see both detail and big-picture objectives. He brings calm to chaotic meetings, synthesizes perspectives, and proposes balanced paths forward.

He is exceptionally effective at leading both new product development and existing product issue resolution.

— Carl, Chief Architect
Global Automotive OEM

Engagement Focus:Product Architecture · Technical Review · Cross-Functional Alignment

Waqar’s technical skills, business acumen, and customer mindset have brought value to multiple vehicle programs and organizations.

— Edward, CEO & Board Director
EV OEM

Engagement Focus:Program Leadership · Product & Business Integration

Waqar took over a struggling high-volume program and rapidly broke down issues into logical groupings, driving focus where it mattered most. Within months, quality, throughput, and cost targets were back on track.

He consistently delivers results while maintaining a professional, collaborative leadership style.

— Dennis, Global Operations Executive
Automotive Manufacturing

Engagement Focus:Execution Recovery · Cost & Quality Improvement · Program Turnaround

Waqar has a rare ability to take extremely complex programs and organize them into actionable, accountable execution plans. His integrity and people-first leadership make teams want to work with him.

— Mo, Senior Product Strategy Leader

Engagement Focus:Complex Program Execution · Accountability · Leadership