Professional Overview
Aakash Gupta is the founder and principal author of Product Growth, a paid newsletter and podcast platform dedicated to product management (PM), product leadership, and product-led growth (PLG) strategies primarily targeting product managers, leaders, and aspiring PM professionals. Based in Los Angeles, California, United States, he operates at the intersection of product growth and career development for product professionals.
He transitioned from a seasoned product management career into content creation and thought leadership, leveraging 15+ years of industry experience across multiple high-profile tech companies and startups.
Current Role
- Newsletter Author & Podcast Host, Product Growth (2024 – Present)
- Creator of a widely recognized newsletter delivering actionable, deep insights on product growth, product management, and career advancement in the PM domain.
- Hosts a free podcast under the same brand, which provides regular insights into product growth strategies and leadership.
- The newsletter has attracted over 263,000 followers on LinkedIn, highlighting significant influence and thought leadership in the product community.
Previous Experience
- VP of Product, Apollo.io (2023 – 2024, Durham, NC)
- Held a senior leadership role at Apollo.io, a unicorn company, focusing on product development and growth leadership.
- Head of Growth Product, Affirm (2021 – 2023, Durham, NC)
- Led product growth initiatives at Affirm, a notable fintech firm, focusing on scaling product-led growth strategies in the SaaS/B2B space.
- Lead Product Manager, Epic Games (2019 – 2021, Cary, NC)
- Managed leading-edge product initiatives for Epic Games, a major player in gaming technology.
- Director of Growth, thredUP (2014 – 2017, San Francisco Bay Area)
- Directed growth product efforts for thredUP, a large online resale marketplace.
- Co-Founder & Head of Product, Rap to Beats (2010 – 2014, San Francisco Bay Area)
- Founded a startup focusing on music and product innovation.
- Product Manager, Scoutforce Werving & Selectie (2008 – 2010)
- Early product management role focused on recruitment and selection technology.
Educational Background
- Master of Business Administration (MBA) – The Wharton School
- Bachelor of Science (BS) – University of Michigan
Areas of Expertise and Content Focus
- Product-Led Growth (PLG): Frequently explores and educates on the SaaS B2B startup growth model through product innovation.
- Product Management & Leadership: Offers advanced insights on managing product teams and developing key PM skills.
- Career Development for Product Managers: Provides tactical advice on increasing PM job success, interview preparation, and salary negotiation.
- Technology and Product Strategy: Breaks down complex technology trends and product methodologies for growth.
Key Metrics and Business Model Insights
- The Product Growth newsletter operates on a paid subscription model priced at approximately $150 per year.
- Gupta highlights that for an average U.S. PM salary of $211,000, even a 0.07% salary increase (within the typical 0-10% raise range) achieved through insights from the newsletter justifies the subscription cost—a quantitative framing that underlines the newsletter’s value proposition to subscribers.
Influence and Public Engagements
- Aakash maintains a high-profile LinkedIn presence with over 263K followers and 500+ connections, reflecting strong influence within product and tech communities.
- Frequently publishes in-depth material, such as:
- Guides on succeeding as a PM and product leader
- Breakdowns on getting a product management job
- Strategies to win in PLG environments
- Hosts the Product Growth Podcast, rated 4.7 stars with over 27 reviews on Apple Podcasts, delivering content on growth and leadership in product management.
- Regularly produces content updated through multiple channels, including Substack, YouTube, Medium, and personal website platforms, emphasizing continuous engagement and knowledge dissemination.
- Delivered keynote speeches, including at events like Pendomonium 2024, illustrating recognition as a subject matter expert and thought leader.
Relevant Insights for Engagement
- Gupta’s expertise centers on leveraging product strategy as a growth lever, particularly in SaaS and tech sectors with a product-led growth focus.
- His experience scaling product functions at high-growth startups and unicorns provides insight into challenges and best practices in growth product leadership.
- As a content creator and product leader, he accesses a broad network of PM professionals, which could inform partnership or outreach strategies emphasizing product development efficacy and professional development.
- His data-driven approach to career progress and growth, combined with his deep product background, indicates a target audience focused on executive product leadership and scalable growth methodologies.
Summary: Aakash Gupta blends extensive operational experience from senior product roles at tech unicorns with deep domain expertise in product-led growth, channeling this into influential content that shapes professional trajectories of product managers and leaders globally. His focus on quantifiable career impact and growth strategy provides a highly data-driven and actionable perspective for product organizations looking to scale via product innovation and leadership development.
