Fractional AI Product Leader, Ex-Airbnb
Product leader and coach with 15+ years of experience in startups and tech companies.
Fractional head of product for early-stage teams (Seed to Series A) and coach for select clients, with experience at Airbnb and startups (Shake, Piazza).
Passionate about partnering with founders to drive product and business impact.
The client faced challenges in delivering effective product impact due to a lack of clear product strategy, sub-optimized product development practices, and an understaffed product team.
Developed a clear product roadmap, aligned stakeholders and teams with the client's goals, pivoted the focus to SMBs and introduced advanced tools to drive efficiency.
Enabled the client to pivot effectively with a new product and clear product strategy, helping them acquire 5 paying customers and supporting their fundraise.
AI-driven SaaS / Voice AI (B2B2C)
Series A startup
A company developing generative voice AI solutions ordering for restaurants, faced several product and operational challenges. Their issues included an undefined product strategy and roadmap, a reactive product development approach, and an understaffed product team.
Additionally, the company also needed to validate a new AI product strategy while contending with rapid advancements in foundational AI models.
They sought a senior, part-time expert to partner with their CPTO to bring clarity and structure to their product strategy, to lead key product initiatives while supporting a product team build out, and to validate new business opportunities within AI.
Initially engaged for three months at 20 hours per week, which later extended to a total of nine months.
Harris joined the company to establish strategic clarity in product development, create a prioritized roadmap, and guide the company through the discovery and validation of a new market offering.
This included evaluating their proprietary AI models against emerging foundational models and redefining their target market.
Harris also provided mentorship to junior product managers, ensuring that the product team operated efficiently and aligned with broader business goals.
Fractional leadership allowed the company to address critical product and strategic issues immediately and cost-effectively, freeing their CTO/CPO to focus on engineering challenges.
Harris's experience allowed him to quickly assess the company's situation, implement structure, and validate a market pivot without the financial or resource demands of a full-time role.
This structure enabled Harris to operate at a high level, focusing on strategic impact while empowering junior team members to handle execution, optimizing the value delivered.
Immediate Steps
Harris introduced a condensed product planning process, linking the business strategy to specific product priorities and creating a clear roadmap.
He conducted one-on-one stakeholder discussions, followed by collaborative workshops to unify the team around strategic goals and ensure alignment across the company.
Long-term Strategy
Harris led the execution of the product roadmap, adapting processes to support a strategic pivot.
He guided a rebuild using emerging technology, enabling the company to target SMBs instead of enterprises and create a product aligned with industry trends.
Cross-functional Collaboration
Harris's role required extensive collaboration, coordinating with the technical team, business leaders, and junior product managers to implement a cohesive product strategy.
He worked closely with the CTO/CPO to delegate responsibilities effectively, streamline workflows, and establish product objectives allowing for efficient progress tracking across teams.
Tools or Methodologies Used
Harris used the Product Strategy Stack framework to clarify priorities and align strategy with product execution.
Key tools and methodologies included OKRs for tracking goals, third-party applications for voice AI development, and agile-inspired approaches to maintain responsiveness while building the new product offering.
Quantitative Impact
Qualitative Impact
Key Milestones
Why This Case Matters
This case demonstrates the strategic power of fractional leadership, particularly for startups facing tight funding timelines and in need of rapid, high-level impact.
Harris's experience allowed him to quickly amplify the impact of the product team and identify and implement a clear product strategy, enabling a successful pivot within nine months.
Fractional leaders provide immediate expertise, helping companies navigate high-stakes decisions without the cost and commitment of full-time executives.
Key Insights
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