Have you met Phani Vuyyuru yet? He's a versatile product leader, podcast host, and speaker renowned for his extensive track record of driving product success across various industries, including FinTech, Restaurant Tech, and Supply Chain.

His professional journey is marked by significant contributions to organizations such as CloudKitchens, Intuit, Wayfair, and Nationwide Insurance. Phani also hosts the widely acclaimed "Everything Product" podcast, a platform that has garnered a global following of over 30,000 product leaders and technologists.

The scope of product management varies widely, adapting to the nature of the product, business, and the scale of the organization. For product managers aiming to evolve into influential product leaders, it's essential to constantly enhance their skill set.

The best strategy to acquire such a wide array of skills for this multifaceted role involves actively participating in the product community and seeking insights from experienced industry veterans

We recently interviewed Phani Vuyyuru, Senior Platform Product leader at CloudKitchens and a wonderful speaker at our recent Product-Led Summit in February 2024 in Austin, Texas. 

See what he had to say about the experience.

Motivation for speaking at the conference

In the world of product-led growth, product managers (PMs) must navigate a complex landscape and constantly absorb lessons from their peers. Throughout my career, I've had the opportunity to work in a variety of industries, establishing myself as one of the rare product leaders in the United States who focus on crafting platform integrations and utilizing them as a powerful tool for product development.

These integrations are crucial in creating a strong defensive barrier for both small and large businesses. Along this path, I've picked up key insights that have been instrumental in helping product managers thrive in their roles. Recognizing my experience, Product-Led Alliance (PLA) extended an invitation for me to speak at the Product-Led Summit, an event that gathers hundreds of product leaders from around the globe to exchange ideas. I felt a responsibility to impart my knowledge and help nurture the growth of the product management community

Deeper conversations bring in deeper ideas

The summit offered an opportunity to exchange ideas on various topics that are shaping the industry at great depths alongside leaders from companies such as EY,  Applied Systems, Atmosphere, and Uber.

I had the privilege to share my knowledge on the growing role of a platform product manager, especially in the integrations space. I also shared insights on how I leverage my expertise from the FinTech industry and apply it to the Restaurant Tech space to help restaurants navigate these difficult economic times. I strongly believe that “Integrations create the deepest moat for any business.”

This is one of the topics that is near and dear to me and I spoke widely about this during the conference as well. As product leaders, we prioritize initiatives that generate significant value not only for our company but also for the industry at large, thereby contributing positively to the broader economy.

Based on my experience, I have witnessed that companies can create the deepest moat by having a platform mindset and building an ecosystem of integrations within and beyond their defined industries

Expanding on the current industry trend, if businesses can gather data and utilize artificial intelligence on top of it to solve customer problems, it creates a strong defense for a company to sustainably grow for decades in this ever-changing and competitive landscape. I shared my knowledge of both of these topics at different avenues.

PLA’s impact on professional growth

PLA has significantly influenced my professional development journey. It has been a go-to resource hub to stay updated on the latest product knowledge. I find myself frequently turning to PLA’s websites to learn about different aspects of building products, growing startups, and managing teams of diverse backgrounds.

I’m particularly fond of the certification “Product-Led Growth Certified: Core,” which can help individuals understand the fundamental principles of product-led growth, enabling practical application in the real world

Contributing to the community

In addition to being the speaker at the summit, I have contributed by writing articles and engaging with the community on their Slack channel. All of these avenues have provided me with opportunities to share my knowledge while also benefiting and continually learning from other industry leaders.

I strongly believe that PLA has been instrumental in empowering the Product community that can selflessly help each other in building sustainable technology products in the industry

Apart from sharing my perspective with influential industry leaders, I also gained invaluable insights from others’ experiences and challenges. This real-time learning experience is something that cannot be acquired solely from a book or a coaching session.  

Want to join the community? Snag a membership and indulge in all the goodness PLA has to offer.