Product&Growth Show

Product&Growth Show

In this podcast Pavlo Pedenko and Yaroslav Stepanenko talk to people in tech.

  1. 97 – From Babbel to MyTutor: Building Edtech That Works, with Geoff Stead (Former CPO, Babbel & MyTutor)

    19 MAY

    97 – From Babbel to MyTutor: Building Edtech That Works, with Geoff Stead (Former CPO, Babbel & MyTutor)

    In Episode 97 of The Product and Growth Show, I spoke with Geoff Stead, former CPO at Babbel and MyTutor. We discussed consumer apps, the impact of GenAI, and what it takes to find a new role as a CPO. Tune in! What did we talk about? - Balancing product promises and growth in a consumer app - Building a product organization in a marketing-led consumer business - Most exciting product challenges at Babbel and MyTutor - Engagement ladders for consumer apps - Advice for CPOs looking for a new role Geoff on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffstead/

    52 min
  2. 96 - From Google to Mate Academy, VC-Backed Expansion for EdTechs with Roman Apostol

    23 FEB

    96 - From Google to Mate Academy, VC-Backed Expansion for EdTechs with Roman Apostol

    Last week, we sat down with Roman Apostol, co-founder of Mate Academy, to talk about business expansion, transitioning from a big corporation to a startup, and staying resilient. Here’s what we covered: - How did you transition from working at Google and Preply to joining Mate Academy? - What is the Income Share Agreement (ISA) model, and how does it work at Mate Academy? - Why did you decide to leave Google and move to Kyiv to work on Mate Academy? - How did you scale Mate Academy from a small offline bootcamp to a global online platform? - What were the biggest challenges in raising venture capital, and what objections did investors have? - How do you balance operational scalability with maintaining quality in EdTech? - What was the strategy behind expanding into new markets like Poland and Brazil? - How do you differentiate Mate Academy from other coding bootcamps and online education platforms? - What impact has the war in Ukraine had on running a business, and how do you maintain resilience? - What books, podcasts, or insights have influenced your approach to leadership and scaling a startup?

    53 min
  3. 95 - From Product to Portfolio: Operator's Guide in Navigating Equity & Angel Investing with Mike Oliinyk, Montonio

    11 FEB

    95 - From Product to Portfolio: Operator's Guide in Navigating Equity & Angel Investing with Mike Oliinyk, Montonio

    Last weekend, we sat down with Mike to discuss his impressive product career (ex-Uber, Wise, Wolt) and talk about his experience in angel investing in early-stage startups. Here's what we discussed: - How Mike has chosen companies in his product career - Picking a first product role today - Job-hopping and when to leave a role quickly - Did Mike expect Wise and Volt to grow so big? - Wolt’s acquisition by DoorDash and post-merger changes - Negotiating equity vs. salary in startup roles - Growing a product career in a slowing market - Why more operators become angel investors - Mike’s worst investment and key lessons - How Mike evaluates startups before investing Follow Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeproduct/

    47 min
  4. 94 - from ops led to product led, a non-traditional YC process, visualisation with Siddhi Mittal, co-founder at yhangry

    27 JAN

    94 - from ops led to product led, a non-traditional YC process, visualisation with Siddhi Mittal, co-founder at yhangry

    Last week I had a chance to chat to Siddhi Mittal, a co-founder at yhangry (YC W22). Here is what we discussed: - Transitioning from a high six-figure trading job to entrepreneurship - A non-traditional YC process - Transitioning from an ops-led to a product-led organization - Startup stagnation as a near-death experience - Why generic advice never works - Running fundraising as a discovery process - Why the B2B2C angle is important for raising funds as a marketplace business - How AI changes marketplace businesses - The power of visualization for founders Siddhi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddhimittal23/

    39 min
  5. 93 - What Makes Companies Grow and The Rise of Micro-Influencing With Ruslan Nazarenko, ScaleAI

    23/12/2024

    93 - What Makes Companies Grow and The Rise of Micro-Influencing With Ruslan Nazarenko, ScaleAI

    - What makes companies grow? - The importance of a common language in growth cultures - A deep dive into Uber’s leaked documents - How does the growth role differ from company to company? - How to build a growth culture? - All things being equal, why does one company grow faster than another? - Can we state that companies with a strong culture actually grow faster? - Differences between European and U.S. growth cultures - What kind of impact do companies like Scale leave on individuals? - How to get hired as a growth manager - Practical tips and tricks for getting noticed by hiring managers - The rise of micro-influencing in tech Links: Pavlo on Substack: https://pavlopedenko.substack.com/ Ross on Substack: https://rossongrowth.substack.com/

    45 min
  6. 92 - Diaspora Founders, Benefits of FAANG Experience, and Pattern Matching in VC with Borys Musielak, SMOK VC

    14/12/2024

    92 - Diaspora Founders, Benefits of FAANG Experience, and Pattern Matching in VC with Borys Musielak, SMOK VC

    A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting with SMOK's Borys Musielak. We discussed early-stage funding, the unique strengths of CEE diaspora founders, and how FAANG experience can be both an advantage and a challenge for entrepreneurs. Tune in to learn more! What did we cover? - What does SMOK VC do? - Why focus on CEE diaspora founders? - What’s the difference between CEE founders and U.S. founders? - Why doesn’t FAANG always produce good startup material? - How much of SMOK’s deal flow comes from LinkedIn? - What’s the most ridiculous pitch Borys has heard? - Why is pattern matching important in VC? - How can someone get into VC? - Does founder-led growth actually exist? - What was the biggest opportunity Borys missed? - What is SMOK VC’s request for startups? - What advice does Borys have for all early-stage founders?

    54 min
  7. 91 - How to Become an AI PM, Moats in AI with Guillaume Boniface-Chang (ex-Synthesia, ex-Google)

    02/12/2024

    91 - How to Become an AI PM, Moats in AI with Guillaume Boniface-Chang (ex-Synthesia, ex-Google)

    Last week, we sat down with Guillaume Boniface-Chang, formerly of Synthesia and Google Search, to discuss the role of a Product Manager in AI-first companies, moats in AI, and more. Topics covered: - Synthesia: From Building New Technology to Finding Product-Market Fit - What Differentiates AI PMs from Conventional Software PMs? The Role of a Research PM - Synthesia’s Product Process - What’s the Moat in AI? - Why Positioning Is Important - Why Scaling Compute Isn’t the Answer to LLM Challenges - How to Stay on Top of the AI Hype - Why Leave Google to Join a Startup? - Why Developing a Personal Thesis Is Important for PMs - How to Become an AI Product Manager - Advice for Junior PMs Follow Guillaume: Twitter: https://x.com/guillaume_boni Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guillaume-bonifacechang/

    40 min
  8. 90 - Thinking visually, building marketplaces, and turning spreadsheets into products with Jonathan Hey, former CPO of ZenEducate

    23/11/2024

    90 - Thinking visually, building marketplaces, and turning spreadsheets into products with Jonathan Hey, former CPO of ZenEducate

    Last week I had a chance to chat with Jonathan Hey, former CPO at ZenEducate. What we discussed: - Is writing books more exciting than building products? - Where does Jono’s love for sketching come from? - How can PMs learn sketching to communicate their ideas more efficiently? - The power of explaining ideas visually - ZenEducate and the problem they are trying to solve - Why building empathy matters, regardless of your domain - How has ZenEducate’s product organization evolved? - How do you build a product strategy for a growing startup? - How do you balance what your investors want with what your customers want? - How will AI disrupt edtech? - Pasha is bragging about his experience trying to use AI avatars. - The hardest problem Jono has had to solve at ZenEducate - Why building what a spreadsheet does is not a trivial task Jonathan on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonohey/ Jonathan's book: https://sketchplanations.com/

    56 min
See All (97)

4.9
out of 5
145 Ratings

About

In this podcast Pavlo Pedenko and Yaroslav Stepanenko talk to people in tech.

Information

  • Creator
    Product&Growth Show
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2025
  • Episodes
    97
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Product&Growth Show