In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Karen Ng, Senior Vice President of Product and Partnerships at HubSpot.

HubSpot is a leading software platform empowering over 184,000 businesses across 120 countries to manage their sales, marketing, and customer support teams. In 2024, HubSpot generated over $2.5 billion in revenue, driven by significant investments in Artificial Intelligence.

Karen oversees critical products like Smart CRM, Operations Hub, and Ecosystem, while driving strategic partnerships and business development. Her technical expertise is notable, with three patents. She has also published research in stress detection, interactive health assessments, and robotic expressivity when she worked as a Machine Learning Researcher at MIT.

In this episode, we'll explore Karen's approach to deploying AI Agents across HubSpot's product portfolio, her decision-making process for when to Build, Buy, or Partner, and her innovative approach to product org design. We'll discuss how product teams can leverage AI Agents to augment their impact and automate workflows, and how product leaders can elevate their roles as key drivers of revenue.

What you'll learn:

• Karen's journey to becoming SVP of Product and Partnerships at HubSpot and her insights on the company's AI transformation.
• The challenges and strategies involved in creating a global, multi-product platform for businesses.
• How to prioritize features and innovations in a fast-paced, customer-centric environment.
• The future of business technology, including AI-powered tools and self-service products.

Key Takeaways👇:

• AI-Driven Product Development: Karen emphasizes the importance of integrating AI across HubSpot's product suite to enhance customer value and streamline operations.
• Innovative Organizational Structure: HubSpot is pushing boundaries with a hybrid approach to product teams, combining functional structures and pod-based teams for agility and ownership.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Karen highlights the use of OGPs (Objectives, Goals, and Plays) and customer feedback to guide product decisions and improvements.

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Credits:
Host: Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia
Guest: Karen Ng

In this episode, we host Cem Kansu, Vice President of Product at Duolingo, the world’s leading language-learning platform.
Duolingo has experienced tremendous growth, transforming from a free translation app in 2011 to a public company valued at over $15 billion, with annual revenues exceeding $700 million. The platform now offers courses in 43 languages, boasts over 113 million monthly active users, and has expanded into math and music education.

Cem has been instrumental to Duolingo's success over the past nine years, leading all core product, growth, and monetization efforts.

In this episode, we'll explore Duolingo’s product and market expansion strategy, how the company introduces gamification to drive engagement, and the key leading indicators used to increase monetization while staying true to its mission of free education. We'll also delve into how Duolingo runs concurrent experiments at scale and the role of voice AI in personalizing the learning experience, including innovative features like the "Video Call with Lily."

What you'll learn:
- Cem's journey in leading product at Duolingo and his insights on balancing growth with educational accessibility.
- Strategies for building a successful freemium model in the education technology space.
- How Duolingo leverages A/B testing and data-driven decision-making.
- The role of AI and gamification in creating engaging learning experiences.

Key Takeaways 👇:
- Freemium Monetization: Duolingo has found a successful balance between offering free education and generating revenue through premium features.
- Data-Driven Innovation: The company's commitment to A/B testing and analytics informs its product roadmap and ensures continuous improvement.
- Engaging User Experience: Duolingo leverages gamification and AI to make learning fun and effective, competing for user attention in a crowded digital landscape.

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- Find out more about Product School here

Credits:
Host: Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia
Guest: Cem Kansu

In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Ilan Frank, Chief Product Officer at Checkr, the leading background check company serving over 100,000 customers.

Checkr has revolutionized the background check industry, processing 85% of checks in 15 minutes or less, compared to the industry standard of 1 to 3 days. This remarkable efficiency is achieved through the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

With $679 million in funding and a $5 billion valuation, Checkr serves major companies like Uber, Warby Parker, and Instacart. Ilan is spearheading the core business while driving product expansion into larger enterprises and new markets.

In this episode, we'll explore Ilan's extensive experience in building SaaS products for large enterprises, including his work at successful companies like Slack, Airtable, and Grammarly. We'll discuss the challenges and strategies involved in transitioning from SMB to enterprise success.

What you'll learn:
- Ilan's journey to becoming CPO at Checkr and his insights on the background check industry's digital transformation.
- The challenges and strategies involved in creating enterprise-ready products and organizations.
- How to balance user delight with complex enterprise client needs.
- The future of background check technology, including AI-powered innovations and international expansion.

Key Takeaways:
- Enterprise Readiness: Ilan emphasizes the importance of both product and organizational readiness when transitioning to serve enterprise clients.
- Product Management Approach: Ilan shares his "Three Buckets" strategy for prioritizing features: metrics movers, customer asks, and delighters.
- Data-Driven Innovation: Ilan highlights the use of AI and machine learning to process vast amounts of data quickly and accurately, revolutionizing the background check industry.
- Enterprise Product Development: Ilan discusses the importance of understanding both the "chooser" and the "user" in enterprise software, and how to create value for both.

Social Links:
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- Find out more about Product School here

Credits:
Host: Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia
Guest: Ilan Frank