​Product Leadership in 2025

​A one-day conference where local product leaders explore outcome-focused strategies, career insights between startups and big tech, AI integration in products, and unifying UX and product teams for enhanced innovation.

​Schedule

​1:00 - 1:50 PM: From Features to Impact: Shifting Your Product Culture to Outcomes with Andy Schrader

​Product success isn’t about what you build—it’s about how it changes customer behaviour and drives business results. In this session, Andy Schrader shares actionable strategies to help product leaders shift from delivering outputs to achieving outcomes, with a focus on customer impact and measurable success.

​2:00 - 2:50 PM: How Genesys Decreased Customer Service Handle Times With AI with Sachi Pradhan

​Sachi walks through how Genesys, a leader in cloud-based customer experience and contact center technology, utilizes AI to reduce Average Handle Times (AHT). He’ll delve into the key aspects of directing customer inquiries so agents can address customer needs faster, leading to better outcomes for both customers and agents.

​3:00 - 3:50 PM: Product Leadership Range: From Startup to Enterprise with Chelsea Bullock

​Chelsea compares her experiences of leading product at a 30-person company with working inside bigger product organizations of some of today’s tech giants like Atlassian and Mailchimp.

​4:00 - 4:50 PM: Combining UX and Product Into a Single Team To Be More Customer-centric with Lauren Hanford

​Lauren shares some of her hard won lessons about the pros and cons of running a combined UX and Product team.

​5:00 PM: Happy Hour and Networking at Raleigh Founded

​Our Speakers

​Andy Schrader - Andy is a product management consultant/coach who has led product at several successful Triangle startups.

​Sachi Pradhan - Sachi is a Director of Product at Genesys and was the former Product Lead at Spreedly.

​Chelsea Bullock - Chelsea is currently a Senior Principal PM at Atlassian working on the Jira product.

​Lauren Hanford - Lauren is the VP of Product at Tidelift and has led design and user experience at several startups.

​Our Hosts

​Raleigh-Durham Startup Week is a regional movement – powered by a team of founders, entrepreneurs, and support organizations dedicated to showcasing the vibrant entrepreneurial community in the Triangle area. We strive to create meaningful moments to enrich entrepreneurial culture and our local startup community.

​Raleigh Founded is a coworking and office space built for business owners to start and grow their companies. We have an extensive network of industry experts, angel investors, and a collaborative community where you can grow your personal and professional connections.

​What is a Knowledge Spike?

​At our annual event, we touch on a lot of great topics, but we know there’s always more to explore. That’s why, throughout the year, we’re bringing you in-depth sessions on the subjects you’ve told us you’re passionate about. These half-day or full-day events will dive deep into various aspects of the startup journey.