TUESDAY - 7.1
What’s the right strategy for a product in a category that doesn’t exist?
If you’re transitioning from a big company to a zero-to-one startup or just looking for fresh ways to validate new ideas, this session is for you. We’ll explore innovative tools, budget-friendly strategies, and tips to avoid common testing pitfalls - including when to move on and take a leap of faith.
In this talk, I share the story of how the founders' request to create a marketplace at our startup, led to an unexpected solution. Spoiler alert: we didn’t build a marketplace. Faced with the challenge, we pivoted away from simply fulfilling the request to deeply analyzing what would truly drive growth while keeping the core idea in mind. This talk reveals how we aligned our solution with business outcomes, utilized customer networks for growth, and prioritized long-term value over quick financial gains, transforming a straightforward request to build a marketplace into a robust growth engine
Imagine starting a new role where expectations demand a first release in 90 days and a comprehensive vision presented to 600 customers within 40 days. Sounds intense? It was my reality.
Join me as I share firsthand insights from navigating this daunting challenge. Learn how to excel from day one in a new company and domain, crafting a roadmap with confidence to captivate a large audience at your company's premier customer conference. Discover strategies to transform your onboarding into a journey of productivity and success, ensuring you not only survive but thrive in the face of high-stakes expectations.
In this session I'll share a product management practice that merges Generative AI with manual operations to accelerate workflows. The focus is on a system that leverages Gen AI, not just to assist, but to automate key tasks. I'll discuss the challenges of integrating AI seamlessly, along with strategies for optimizing this hybrid approach for faster operations.
A view of product management from a sales perspective, and how PMs can help in the sales motion and make a real impact on the business.
This talk dives into the story of Wix's evolving strategy, the Open Platform, and the continuous growth it delivers. We'll share the why, what, and how of our open platform strategy, including our "aha moment" of realizing that opening the platform was the right move. We'll discuss both the high-level strategy and the tactical tips that helped us iteratively open our platform.
We'll share stories from two perspectives: Rephael, Wix's Product Professor and Strategy Specialist, will discuss the strategic rationale behind the Open Platform. Noa, Wix's Dev Tools Product Manager, will showcase the tactical aspects of opening the platform by simplifying tools that empower external developers to expand Wix. This talk will have you asking - should I open my platform to grow my product? And with the right tools to start doing so.
This talk dives into the story of Wix's evolving strategy, the Open Platform, and the continuous growth it delivers. We'll share the why, what, and how of our open platform strategy, including our "aha moment" of realizing that opening the platform was the right move. We'll discuss both the high-level strategy and the tactical tips that helped us iteratively open our platform.
We'll share stories from two perspectives: Rephael, Wix's Product Professor and Strategy Specialist, will discuss the strategic rationale behind the Open Platform. Noa, Wix's Dev Tools Product Manager, will showcase the tactical aspects of opening the platform by simplifying tools that empower external developers to expand Wix. This talk will have you asking - should I open my platform to grow my product? And with the right tools to start doing so.
I am the proud father of an 18-year-old girl who has been part of Benjamina's robotics groups for the past 6 years. This year, she serves as one of the team captains, and just a month ago, her team achieved first place in the World Robotics Championship - FRC, surpassing thousands of teams worldwide. Over the years, I've delved deeper into this world, discovering unique methodologies and strategies that offer valuable lessons for product managers in high-tech companies.
In the FRC competition, each year presents a new challenge where teams must build a robot within a tight schedule. They start competing just six weeks after the global announcement of the competition's structure and rules for that year. Unlike product launches that allow for adjustments, there's no room for rejection; teams must innovate and compete with the resources available. The process involves meticulous planning, rapid production, extensive software development (for the robot and supporting systems), and continuous iteration over the two-month competition period. This team continuously refines its methodology year by year, achieving unprecedented success - no Israeli team has previously won at this level, which is usually dominated by teams from the USA with budgets ten times larger and support from sponsors like NASA, Boeing, and Apple.
For us as product managers, learning from a group of young individuals (alongside mature mentors who have integrated into the high-tech industry) who represent the future of technology is both fascinating and invaluable. These insights will be showcased in my upcoming lecture, providing concrete examples of innovative strategies and methodologies.
First impression is established in the very first seconds and affects the way the environment perceives us.
We are all "standing in front of an audience" -Small talks, networking, presentations, dates, job interviews, managing employees and basically in every interaction!
So how can you improve your communication skills, unlock your carisma and Present the best version of yourself?
Through an effective experiential methodology, you will learn how the knowledgeable use of body language can improve interactions and generate positive change in your professional and personal life.
What will you get?
Tools for upgrading your non verbal messages
Basic principles for analyzing body language
We will reveal what each part in the body transmits
What do our hand movements deliver?
Face and facial expressions
Body tilts
How can you transmit power and presence through the voice and more..
As product managers, we know that incremental improvements often aren't enough to make a significant impact. At Promo.com, we took a radical leap with PromoAI, a tool that empowers SMBs to generate a month's worth of high-quality, personalized marketing videos in mere minutes.
In this lightning talk, we'll delve into the journey of creating PromoAI and the radical innovation it represents. We'll explore how PromoAI revolutionizes content creation, shifting the role of marketers and creators from generating content from scratch to curating and refining AI-generated content. This transformation allows for more efficient, creative, and impactful marketing strategies.
We'll also discuss the importance of designing products that support iterative processes, enabling continuous improvement and rapid adaptation. As product managers, understanding these shifts is crucial to driving innovation and staying ahead in a competitive market. Join us to learn how PromoAI not only accelerates content production but also redefines the creative process, providing invaluable insights for your own product development journey.
I integrated a GenAI model into my products and lived to tell the tale.
Since ChatGPT burst into our lives in November 2022, the hype around Generative AI (GenAI) has reached new heights. Today, there is hardly a tech organization that isn't integrating or considering integrating GenAI into their processes and products, sometimes justifiably, sometimes not.
As product leaders, we are often seen as those who need to bring the vision and insight on how to incorporate this technology into the products we manage. In this talk, I will attempt to cut through the hype and simplify the topic with practical tools for product managers, based on my experience working with GenAI capabilities in Microsoft's health group over the past year.
By the end of the lecture, I hope you'll have the knowledge to:
When and why it is appropriate to use GenAI
The available options, along with their advantages and disadvantages
How to consider aspects of Safety, Security, and Responsible AI
WEDNSDAY - 8.1
A new category in the market? Check. A new industry for me? Check. A new group in the company? Check. All the ingredients were there to present challenges. And opportunities.
Join us as we explore the journey of building a new product team in a cutting-edge, deep tech scale-up. From building a multi-disciplinary team of domain experts, to leading market education with innovative solutions, to opening back-doors to customer interaction - we'll explore how we navigate uncharted territories on a day-to-day basis.
It's only by changing roles that you can shift your perspective and see what was just in front of you, but you weren’t able to see. Join us for an insightful talk where Noa Danon, a seasoned product leader turned CEO, shares a candid journey of realizations and revelations. Transitioning from a product-centric role to the helm of a company, she encountered a series of eye-opening surprises about the business world. This talk will dissect several stark assumptions commonly held by product professionals and contrast them with the gritty realities of leading a business. This session is not just about the transition but also about the lessons learned that can empower product leaders to think more broadly and better perform when working with business roles and CEOs. Whether you’ve been told you need to have more of a business mindset, or you are heading the product department, you'll leave with a new perspective on the intersection of product management and business leadership.
Few people have journeyed from being developers and UX designers to product managers, startup management team members, and finally, founders and CEOs. These transitions have given me unique perspectives on various roles and motivations. I made mistakes that only became clear when I changed positions. Working closely with sales doesn’t mean you truly understand business, and the same goes for marketing or being a CEO. This talk provides an authentic reflection on how product professionals are viewed, which I believe will resonate deeply with the audience.
In my presentation, I share the journey of transitioning from a "never went to production" product to an innovative startup solution that transformed the restaurant industry. Our breakthrough was an iPad-based mobile POS system for waiters, initially receiving mixed feedback. This led to key insights:
- Market Analysis:
- Customers needed a seamless integration with existing management systems.
- Established software providers resisted collaboration, leading us to create a comprehensive management system.
- Understanding the Customers:
- Most potential clients were independent restaurants and small businesses.
- These customers required user-friendly technology that supports various restaurant operations.
- We developed a one-stop-shop solution tailored to their needs.
- Empowering the Customers:
- We provided White Label solutions, allowing customers to adapt technology to their brand, thus reaching new audiences and strengthening their brand identity.
- This approach saved marketing costs and enhanced operational efficiency.
Conclusion:
Key questions explored:
- Are you an addon or a full product?
- How do you handle competitor resistance?
- How do you identify and cater to your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)?
This presentation highlights the importance of market understanding and innovative thinking in creating impactful products while taking risks.
All PMs want to be business-oriented, but what does that actually mean? Is it simply projecting revenue dollars in your roadmap or (more recently) prioritizing profit?
In fact there is a language to businesses and that is the language of finance people. So PMs who learn to incorporate considerations such as Gross Margin, Revenue Recognition or Fiscal Year Budgeting can become more influential and create more impact for the business they serve.
Learn why prompt engineering is intertwined with product management, and see how classic PM skills are crucial for successful AI feature development. Based on real case studies and a methodology adaptable to any product for simplified AI design.
In today's competitive landscape, creating and sustaining unique differentiators, or "moats," is more challenging than ever. Just as my mother-in-law's unique cooking keeps us coming back to her table, a company's distinctive features keep it ahead in the market. Despite her generosity in sharing recipes, my attempts to replicate her dishes never quite match up. This experience illustrates how companies create their own protective moats—those unique traits and capabilities that set them apart from competitors, much like the moats around medieval castles. Identifying, articulating, and maintaining these moats has always been a difficult task, but it's even more crucial now with the rise of LLM models and the multitude of start-ups leveraging them.
In this exciting era where large language models (LLMs) have become widely accessible and commoditized, building sustainable moats is essential for product differentiation and growth. Companies must go beyond the surface-level features and delve into what truly makes them unique to maintain a competitive edge. This talk aims to shed light on the significance of moats in product management, offering practical strategies to identify, build, and sustain them, ensuring your products remain compelling and resilient in an ever-evolving market.
In an era where product problems are translated into AI models to solve them, and with so many models out there, how can we as product managers ensure that all product requirements will be addressed in the selected model before committing to research and development? This session will cover the four "Product-Model Fit" principles Keren created based on her personal experience. These principles will help you conduct guided discussions with your data researchers, direct the research team with requirements that fit the AI domain, and set you, your team, and your product up for success.
In pursuing data-driven decision-making, have we become so obsessed with numbers that we've lost sight of our instincts? We will explore the illusion of control that data provides, the downsides it carries, and the often overlooked role of instincts in product management. Prepare to challenge conventional wisdom as a case is made for balancing analytical insights with your natural product intuition.
.One year ago, at the dawn of the Gen-AI revolution, we set out to develop an innovative, intelligent chatbot for sports bettors designed to communicate as a professional analyst
Through our market analysis, we uncovered two key insights:
1. There is no comparable technology on the market.
2. Our competition lies in professional sports analysts providing user insights.
Faced with high development costs, we asked ourselves: Should our MVP be minimal or monumental? We chose to go big. Over four months, two dedicated teams created a high-quality, feature-rich product.
Join me to explore: What drove our decision to aim high with our MVP? How did we balance risks and rewards? What lessons can be learned for your next big product launch?
Navigate how the AI revolution meets you in your day to day as a product manager. We'll learn 4 effective tools and tricks and you'll be ready to take action immediately the following day and make AI your personal assistant.