Top Talent like Dena are on Pangea

Pangea, a YC company, connects companies with fractional talent. Fractional hiring allows companies to move faster and work with more specialized talent, while giving talent more flexibility and independence. If you are talent open to fractional work, apply here. If you’re a company looking for high-quality fractional talent, learn more here.

Dena Lawless

Growth Product Manager
CA, US
Product Strategy
Onboarding
Available for hire fromNegotiable
AI Product & GTM Executive | AI Value Realization | Portfolio Company Growth
AI Product & GTM Executive who helps VC and PE-backed companies close the AI value realization gap by aligning product strategy, customer workflows, evaluation, trust, adoption, and go-to-market execution. Builds and commercializes 0→1 products, resets growth-stage platforms, and converts emerging technology into trusted customer adoption, revenue, and enterprise value. Advisor to CEOs and portfolio companies on positioning, AI operationalization, commerce strategy, and customer adoption, with selected impact including 2× ARR growth, 10× platform growth, +33% adoption, 40% workflow improvement, and TTV reduced from 2 weeks to 2 days.

Projects

ZAPA™ — evidence-gated AI product assessment framework

Built AI-native products and evaluation systems including ZAPA™, an evidence-gated AI product assessment framework.

CacheTag™ — portable context layer

Built AI-native products and evaluation systems including CacheTag™, a portable context layer.

Vibe Republik™ — AI product readiness and pre-publish audit

Built AI-native products and evaluation systems including Vibe Republik™, an AI product readiness and pre-publish audit.

Work History

A

Portfolio Advisor

Astia Venture CapitalAdvisor to CEO and portfolio companies on positioning, AI operationalization, commerce strategy, customer adoption, and execution.
Z

Founder & Product/GTM Operator

Zhooshh Venture StudioBuilt 0→1 AI-native consumer and enterprise products spanning workflow automation, marketplaces, operational AI, trust systems, and emerging platform experiences. Supported startup fundraising, investor positioning, and capital-market readiness across multiple ventures ($16M total). Led end-to-end product execution across strategy, workflows, GTM alignment, validation, onboarding, commercialization, and scale. Built and validated multiple AI-native products from concept through early traction product-market fit and scale. Led: social CRM from 0-1 to 300K customers; all channel and network effect growth initiatives; and investor positioning. Enterprise AI workflow orchestration platform. Led operational AI systems transforming dispatch, scheduling, and workflow execution while supporting strategic positioning, investor readiness, and acquisition preparation initiatives. Fortune 500 customers, Freshworks and Salesforce partnerships. Impact: 40% dispatch improvement, 30% scheduling improvement.
G

Product Strategy & Advisor

goDeskless, Inc. (AI-Powered Service Orchestration Platform)goDeskless, Inc. (AI-Powered Service Orchestration Platform), Product Strategy & Advisor (7-year engagement )
H

VP of Product Management & Product Marketing

Hub, Inc. (Co-built with LinkedIn Co-Founder Eric Ly)Oct 2018 - May 2020 • 1 yr 8 mosPost $20M raise, designed and led 0→1 product and network operating system design for a professional networking platform with gamified marketplace mechanics, driving trusted participation, activation, referral growth, and compounding network value. Built onboarding, activation, referral, and monetization capabilities reducing time-to-value from 2 weeks → 2 days, doubling onboarding completion and improving activation +40%, strengthening engagement systems and scalable network value creation. Impact: 10X platform growth, and another 10X through product execution, customer adoption systems, partnerships, and scaling initiatives. Recruited by and reported to CRO Marco Bussadori. Led AI operationalization and GTM transformation across enterprise SaaS platform serving Fortune 500 customers, connecting AI capabilities to customer workflows, adoption, and operational execution. Drove 2× ARR growth, +33% adoption, +27% activation, and -10% churn by aligning Product, GTM, and Customer Success around scalable customer systems and expansion paths.
A

VP of Strategy

Alida, Inc. (Vision Critical, Series C to D)Jul 2017 - Mar 2018 • 9 mosBuilt end-to-end omnichannel customer experience, UAT testing, operational scaling, and cross-functional deployment pipelines for Apple’s high-stakes Delivery & Pickup infrastructure layer for 300M customers and 300 stores; the revised system ultimately contributed to 58% YOY growth.
A

Consulting

Alida, Inc. (Vision Critical, Series C to D)Apr 2018 - Sep 2018 • 6 mosApple’s Delivery & Pickup infrastructure layer work referenced in Alida section (UAT testing, operational scaling, cross-functional deployment pipelines; revised system contributed to 58% YOY growth).
A

Senior Product Manager, Customer Experience

AppleBuilt and Launched 0-300M Global Delivery & Pickup
N

Early Foundational Tenure, Pioneering Architecture

Netscape Communications, Inc.Jan 2011 - Jan 2013 • 2 yrs 1 moNetscape Communications, Inc. SonicNet > Viacom; Blipback >Hasbro >Vero Social; Over 20 startups, many with next rounds or acquisitions.
S

Director of GTM

Saama Life Sciences, Inc. (Acquired by Carlyle)Recruited by and reported to CRO Todd Johnson for major transformation, accomplished 2X ARR $50 to $100M in one year, now worth $1B and acquired. Selected engagement: Meta | Product Launch Lead, Trust & Safety (2022) Led global rollout of well-being products to 600M users across 80 countries, achieving 58% adoption while aligning 6,000 stakeholders.

Education

U

University of Southern California (USC)

Master’s, Global Communication Management2015 - 2017

How Pangea Works

Effortlessly discover top talent

We've distilled the candidate search from endless hours down to just a few minutes. Using Pangea's AI-powered search tools, you can find top fractional talent able to take on your next project. Our system looks at your company's niche and your needs to find the perfect match faster than any traditional hiring platform.

Start working with talent today

The top talent on Pangea is ready to get started with you right now. You can message or hire a candidate right from their profile page and start assigning work as soon as they respond. And the best part? Pangea's fractional contract structure lets you start small and ramp up as your needs change, keeping your costs manageable and your team's capabliities flexible.

Track work and invoices in one place

Assign tasks, track progress, and complete invoices all on Pangea. We've combined every part of the hiring process into one platform to eliminate the miscommunication that's unavoidable on other freelance platforms. We even send out 1099s to your contractors at the end of the year!

Talk with a Talent Expert

Members of our team are available to help you speed through the hiring process.
Available Now
Book a Call
AI Product & GTM Executive | AI Value Realization | Portfolio Company Growth
AI Product & GTM Executive who helps VC and PE-backed companies close the AI value realization gap by aligning product strategy, customer workflows, evaluation, trust, adoption, and go-to-market execution. Builds and commercializes 0→1 products, resets growth-stage platforms, and converts emerging technology into trusted customer adoption, revenue, and enterprise value. Advisor to CEOs and portfolio companies on positioning, AI operationalization, commerce strategy, and customer adoption, with selected impact including 2× ARR growth, 10× platform growth, +33% adoption, 40% workflow improvement, and TTV reduced from 2 weeks to 2 days.

Talk with a Talent Expert

Members of our team are available to help you speed through the hiring process.
Available Now
Book a Call

Top Talent like Dena are on Pangea

Pangea, a YC company, connects companies with fractional talent. Fractional hiring allows companies to move faster and work with more specialized talent, while giving talent more flexibility and independence. If you are talent open to fractional work, apply here. If you’re a company looking for high-quality fractional talent, learn more here.

Dena Lawless

Growth Product Manager
CA, US
Product Strategy
Onboarding
Available for hire fromNegotiable

Projects

ZAPA™ — evidence-gated AI product assessment framework

Built AI-native products and evaluation systems including ZAPA™, an evidence-gated AI product assessment framework.

CacheTag™ — portable context layer

Built AI-native products and evaluation systems including CacheTag™, a portable context layer.

Vibe Republik™ — AI product readiness and pre-publish audit

Built AI-native products and evaluation systems including Vibe Republik™, an AI product readiness and pre-publish audit.

Work History

A

Portfolio Advisor

Astia Venture CapitalAdvisor to CEO and portfolio companies on positioning, AI operationalization, commerce strategy, customer adoption, and execution.
Z

Founder & Product/GTM Operator

Zhooshh Venture StudioBuilt 0→1 AI-native consumer and enterprise products spanning workflow automation, marketplaces, operational AI, trust systems, and emerging platform experiences. Supported startup fundraising, investor positioning, and capital-market readiness across multiple ventures ($16M total). Led end-to-end product execution across strategy, workflows, GTM alignment, validation, onboarding, commercialization, and scale. Built and validated multiple AI-native products from concept through early traction product-market fit and scale. Led: social CRM from 0-1 to 300K customers; all channel and network effect growth initiatives; and investor positioning. Enterprise AI workflow orchestration platform. Led operational AI systems transforming dispatch, scheduling, and workflow execution while supporting strategic positioning, investor readiness, and acquisition preparation initiatives. Fortune 500 customers, Freshworks and Salesforce partnerships. Impact: 40% dispatch improvement, 30% scheduling improvement.
G

Product Strategy & Advisor

goDeskless, Inc. (AI-Powered Service Orchestration Platform)goDeskless, Inc. (AI-Powered Service Orchestration Platform), Product Strategy & Advisor (7-year engagement )
H

VP of Product Management & Product Marketing

Hub, Inc. (Co-built with LinkedIn Co-Founder Eric Ly)Oct 2018 - May 2020 • 1 yr 8 mosPost $20M raise, designed and led 0→1 product and network operating system design for a professional networking platform with gamified marketplace mechanics, driving trusted participation, activation, referral growth, and compounding network value. Built onboarding, activation, referral, and monetization capabilities reducing time-to-value from 2 weeks → 2 days, doubling onboarding completion and improving activation +40%, strengthening engagement systems and scalable network value creation. Impact: 10X platform growth, and another 10X through product execution, customer adoption systems, partnerships, and scaling initiatives. Recruited by and reported to CRO Marco Bussadori. Led AI operationalization and GTM transformation across enterprise SaaS platform serving Fortune 500 customers, connecting AI capabilities to customer workflows, adoption, and operational execution. Drove 2× ARR growth, +33% adoption, +27% activation, and -10% churn by aligning Product, GTM, and Customer Success around scalable customer systems and expansion paths.
A

VP of Strategy

Alida, Inc. (Vision Critical, Series C to D)Jul 2017 - Mar 2018 • 9 mosBuilt end-to-end omnichannel customer experience, UAT testing, operational scaling, and cross-functional deployment pipelines for Apple’s high-stakes Delivery & Pickup infrastructure layer for 300M customers and 300 stores; the revised system ultimately contributed to 58% YOY growth.
A

Consulting

Alida, Inc. (Vision Critical, Series C to D)Apr 2018 - Sep 2018 • 6 mosApple’s Delivery & Pickup infrastructure layer work referenced in Alida section (UAT testing, operational scaling, cross-functional deployment pipelines; revised system contributed to 58% YOY growth).
A

Senior Product Manager, Customer Experience

AppleBuilt and Launched 0-300M Global Delivery & Pickup
N

Early Foundational Tenure, Pioneering Architecture

Netscape Communications, Inc.Jan 2011 - Jan 2013 • 2 yrs 1 moNetscape Communications, Inc. SonicNet > Viacom; Blipback >Hasbro >Vero Social; Over 20 startups, many with next rounds or acquisitions.
S

Director of GTM

Saama Life Sciences, Inc. (Acquired by Carlyle)Recruited by and reported to CRO Todd Johnson for major transformation, accomplished 2X ARR $50 to $100M in one year, now worth $1B and acquired. Selected engagement: Meta | Product Launch Lead, Trust & Safety (2022) Led global rollout of well-being products to 600M users across 80 countries, achieving 58% adoption while aligning 6,000 stakeholders.

Education

U

University of Southern California (USC)

Master’s, Global Communication Management2015 - 2017

How Pangea Works

Effortlessly discover top talent

We've distilled the candidate search from endless hours down to just a few minutes. Using Pangea's AI-powered search tools, you can find top fractional talent able to take on your next project. Our system looks at your company's niche and your needs to find the perfect match faster than any traditional hiring platform.

Start working with talent today

The top talent on Pangea is ready to get started with you right now. You can message or hire a candidate right from their profile page and start assigning work as soon as they respond. And the best part? Pangea's fractional contract structure lets you start small and ramp up as your needs change, keeping your costs manageable and your team's capabliities flexible.

Track work and invoices in one place

Assign tasks, track progress, and complete invoices all on Pangea. We've combined every part of the hiring process into one platform to eliminate the miscommunication that's unavoidable on other freelance platforms. We even send out 1099s to your contractors at the end of the year!

Talk with a Talent Expert

Members of our team are available to help you speed through the hiring process.
Available Now
Book a Call
Pangea empowers fractional work across the world for marketing and design roles.