In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Vrushali Paunikar, Chief Product Officer at Carta—the company revolutionizing how private companies manage equity and capital. Originally starting as a cap table management solution, Carta now manages over $150 billion in assets and positions itself as the "Network ERP for Private Capital," supporting over 50,000 companies from early-stage startups to pre-IPO giants.
As CPO at Carta, Vrushali has been instrumental in driving the company's evolution from a single-product focus to a comprehensive platform serving various stakeholders in the private capital ecosystem. Her unique background, including experience at Rocket Lawyer and an interesting hobby as an amateur florist, brings a fresh perspective to product leadership in fintech.
In this episode, we'll explore Carta's transformation from a cap table management tool to a comprehensive platform for private capital, diving into organizational structure changes, international expansion strategies, and innovative approaches to product development.

What you'll learn:

• How Carta expanded from cap table management to fund administration by deeply understanding customer needs
• Strategies for restructuring product teams from a business unit model to a modular approach
• Insights into different approaches for international expansion (organic vs. acquisition)
• The role of micromanagement as a temporary coaching tool in product development
• How to balance platform ambitions with focused execution

Content:
(00:00) Introduction and Personal Background
(05:00) Carta's Evolution Story
(15:00) Organizational Transformation
(25:00) International Expansion Strategy
(35:00) Leadership Philosophy & Management Style
(45:00) Product Strategy & Market Positioning

Key Takeaways👇:

• Carta's shift from a business unit-based structure to a modular approach has enabled better scalability and reduced duplicate work across teams. This restructuring has been crucial for maintaining consistency while expanding product offerings.
• Starting with cap table management, Carta identified larger market opportunities through their existing customer base, leading to strategic expansion into fund administration and positioning as the "ERP of private capital."
• Different markets require different approaches—exemplified by Carta's organic expansion in Singapore versus acquisition-based entry into the UK/EU market, highlighting the importance of adaptable go-to-market strategies.
• Vrushali brings a unique perspective on micromanagement, viewing it as a potential coaching tool when used temporarily and situationally to help teams understand quality standards.

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Credits:
Host: Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbr

In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Ashok Bania, Senior Vice President of Product at SoundCloud.

SoundCloud is the original open platform that disrupted the music industry alongside Spotify, providing massive distribution to millions of artists, including superstars like Billie Eilish and Post Malone. It's a free music app available on web and mobile that connects DJs and singers with over 150 million fans worldwide. After a period of strategic shifts, SoundCloud became profitable for the first time in 16 years.

Ashok oversees product strategy, growth, and monetization at SoundCloud. He has a proven track record of building successful consumer subscription products and marketplaces at companies like Spotify, Lyft, Tumblr, and Headspace.

In this episode, we'll explore SoundCloud's turnaround from near collapse to profitability, specific AI use cases that enhance music discovery and community engagement, and Ashok's unique approach to product development and growth strategies.

What you'll learn:
- Ashok's journey to becoming SVP of Product at SoundCloud and his insights on the platform's transformation.
- The challenges and strategies involved in revitalizing a global, open music platform.
- How to prioritize features and innovations in a fast-paced, creator-centric environment.
- The future of music technology, including AI-powered remixes and personalized discovery.

Key Takeaways👇:
- Creator-First Approach: Ashok emphasizes the importance of catering to both established and emerging artists through innovative tools and distribution methods.
- AI-Driven Music Experiences: SoundCloud is leveraging AI to enhance music discovery and enable community-driven remixes, generating over 1,400 submissions in recent contests.
- Mission-Based Team Structure: Ashok highlights the shift towards organizing teams around specific missions rather than traditional product divisions to solve core user needs.

Credits:
Host: Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia
Guest: Ashok Bania

In this episode, Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia interviews Chiara McPhee, Chief Product Officer at Postscript, a leader in SMS marketing for e-commerce. Postscript is revolutionizing how e-commerce brands engage with customers. With over $100 million in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) and more than 20,000 Shopify merchants using their platform, Postscript has become a powerhouse in conversational commerce. Their SMS marketing tools have helped generate over $2 billion in e-commerce revenue for their customers annually, with open rates exceeding 90%, far outpacing traditional email marketing.

In this episode, Chiara shares her insights on:

* Leveraging generative AI to create personalized, one-to-one conversations that drive revenue.
* How AI agents are outperforming human customer support in certain areas.
* Key revenue leading indicators in SMS marketing and setting up effective attribution models.
* Overcoming challenges in scaling infrastructure to achieve $100M in Annual Recurring Revenue.
* The benefits of focusing exclusively on Shopify.
* The "Horizon Strategy" approach to building teams tailored for Horizon 1 (cash cow), Horizon 2 (growth), and Horizon 3 (moonshots), balancing short-term wins with long-term ambitious goals in product development.

In this episode, we'll explore how Postscript is leveraging cutting-edge technology to deliver personalized customer experiences, driving revenue and redefining e-commerce marketing. We'll discuss leveraging generative AI to create personalized, one-to-one conversations that drive revenue, how AI agents are outperforming human customer support in certain areas, overcoming challenges in scaling infrastructure to achieve $100M in Annual Recurring Revenue, and the benefits of focusing exclusively on Shopify.

What you'll learn:
* Chiara's journey to becoming CPO at Postscript and her insights on the power of SMS marketing.
* How generative AI enables personalized, one-to-one conversations that drive revenue.
* Key strategies for SMS marketing, including compliance, personalization, and integration with other channels.
* How to structure product teams using the "Horizon Strategy" to balance short-term wins with long-term innovation.

Key Takeaways:
*Personalized Conversations: Chiara emphasizes the importance of leveraging generative AI to create personalized, one-to-one conversations that drive revenue.
*Focus on Shopify: Chiara highlights the company's strategic decision to focus exclusively on Shopify, and the impact it had on business outcomes.
*Horizon Strategy: Chiara shares the benefits of the "Horizon Strategy" approach to building product teams tailored for different stages of growth and innovation.

Credits:

Host: Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia
Guest: Chiara McPhee