Michael Strand

Director of Strategy @ Niron Magnetics | Forbes 30 under 30

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

About

I'm an engineer and business strategist with adept skills in problem solving, leadership, and communication. I am passionate about innovation and feel privileged to play a role in MN's thriving ecosystem. I leverage over a decade of experience in product management, technical leadership, and go-to-market strategy to position products and businesses for outsized success. I am also co-founder of Tynt Technologies, a startup backed by over $20 million in public and private capital. Tynt's IP portfolio is based on research performed during my PhD at Stanford and I was recognized on the Forbes 30 under 30 in Energy list and with the 2023 Early Career Award at my alma mater for my contributions.

Experience

  • Director, Strategy & Strategic Finance at Niron Magnetics, Inc.
    Jul 2025 - Present · 1 yr 1 mo

  • Co-Founder at Tynt Technologies
    Jul 2020 - Present · 6 yrs 1 mo

    ▪ Raised >$20M in public and private capital for deeptech startup based PhD research ▪ Built strong relationship with partner valued >$6B through effective presentations and reports ▪ Saved >$450k in capex through efficient budget management, outsourcing, and strategic decisions ▪ Scaled team from 6 to 22 employees in <9 months ▪ Clearly communicated strategy and key decisions to board of directors and other stakeholders

  • Senior Associate at McKinsey & Company
    Sep 2023 - Sep 2025 · 2 yrs 1 mo

    - Developed EV marketing strategy based on advanced analytics to deliver $50M incremental revenue growth - Managed medical device transformation to double CAGR while improving margin with >$150M potential opportunity - Led aftermarket strategy for commercial vehicle OEM to unlock $120M revenue growth following recent acquisition - Designed and implemented medical device startup ecosystem to facilitate collaboration between public, corporate, and startup stakeholders

  • Research Fellow at Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, Stanford University
    Jul 2016 - Dec 2020 · 4 yrs 6 mos

    •Led a multi-institution, $500k grant to research and design a breakthrough dynamic window technology •Managed communication and collaboration across multiple sub-projects to meet aggressive milestones •Applied quantitative analysis and research methodologies to make 36-fold improvement in device scale •Work highlighted in >30 media outlets including Nature, Science, and Cell, 6 patents, 12 publications

  • Research Assistant at Advanced Materials for Energy and Electronics - Arnold Group
    May 2015 - Jun 2016 · 1 yr 2 mos

    Research Project: Optimized Fabrication of Aligned, Long-Channel Carbon Nanotube Transistors for use in Next-Generation Electronics •Developed non-destructive sorting process to produce ultrahigh purity, defect-free semiconducting carbon nanotube inks for use in electronic devices •Fabricated TFTs with breakthrough performance, highest mobility devices to date •Optimized carbon nanotube alignment process called dose-controlled floating evaporative assembly for reproducible deposition of dense, highly-aligned films over a large surface area •Proficient in materials characterization techniques: SEM, OM, AFM, XRD, Profilometry, Spectroscopy •Performed fundamental studies to elucidate the mechanism that drives the novel alignment process