Phil Haymes | Executive Product Leader
Gen AI | Web3 | Aviation | Music Tech | Gaming | Retail
Welcome to my portfolio
My name is Phil, and I appreciate you stopping by to find out more about me.
I've spent over 20 years working in technology and the last 12 years leading product teams from pre-seed startups, and SMB's to Fortune 500's. I'm a first-principles thinker who loves solving problems for users and helping to scale companies.
Most recently, my experience has been five years deep into gen AI, web3 and blockchain technologies, where I've owned and scaled products from crypto wallets, to stablecoins, NFT marketplaces and decentralized exchanges - even worked on next generation AI and web3 ID powered social media, thinking about and solving problems that face our current internet landscape.
My approach is tailored to each company and product, and usually centers on user-focused design and agile execution through robust data analysis and discovery, which has helped teams achieve significant growth in both user engagement and revenue.
I work closely with C-suite leadership to build winning strategic vision that translates into executable roadmaps, bringing together cross-functional teams to deliver results that matter.
Recently, I've integrated AI and LLMs into product workflows to solve real problems and create measurable impact and believe in utilizing AI to significantly improve the product process, increasing speed without losing quality.
If you think that I can help your companies needs, I'd love to chat.

Expertise

Product Leadership With over 12 years as a Product leader, including several executive team roles, I've built and transformed product managers, designers and project managers into consistent high performers. I have substantial experience in creating and implementing winning strategies, managing P&Ls/Budgets, crafting revenue models and aligning companies to product vision through effective communication. AI & Web3 Expertise Expert product strategist in AI Use-cases for internal workflows and external experiences. I have significant web3 experience building and managing stablecoins, crypto wallets, NFTs, and various decentralized apps, delivering repeatable user growth and multimillion-dollar revenue uplifts through user-centric design. Innovation Focus I've delivered multiple zero-to-one products across multiple industry verticals. I've forged C-suite partnerships to secure board approvals and align cross-functional teams for scalable success on innovative products and features. I recently pioneered AI driven product and design processes for fast optimal results, and consistency of delivery outputs.

Testemonials

Liz Robuck CPO - InvestiFi Context: Liz was my Director of Product at Exodus. Phil is one of the most talented product executives I have encountered in my career. I had the privilege of joining Phil's team at Exodus, and was consistently amazed at his ability to balance the many responsibilities he had as VP of Product. Phil is an effective and caring manager, genuinely interested in the growth and development of his team members. He has the strategic mind required to set a cohesive product vision and build a long term roadmap, as well as the detailed UI/UX thinking needed to do the in-the-weeds work that produces best in class user experiences. Phil's upbeat attitude and sense of humor also just make him a total pleasure to work with (and for). I genuinely hope that my and Phil's professional paths will cross again in the future. Joe Plowman Founder/CEO - Plowman Capital Context: Joe was my CEO at Aerospace Technology Ventures I worked with Phil Haymes successfully launching two companies over the past two years. Phil was our Vice President of Product but more importantly, Phil was our lead strategist and software development team leader. He designed every aspect of our multiple products and brands. He was also a natural leader in every successful strategic decision. Moreover, his ability to lead and mentor his employees helped deliver a business model and software platform well beyond our expectations. I would be honored to partner with Phil again on any future project. Denis Dyack CEO/CCO - Apocalypse Studios Context: Denis was my CEO at Apocalypse Studios Having worked with Phil for over a period of many years, I’ve found him to be a natural leader and decision-maker. With a well-grounded and deep understanding of technology, Phil can analyze any problem, break it down into manageable steps and execute for success. Phil is also a natural people person, well-liked and respected amongst his peers and colleagues, he understands the importance of the process of successful execution and building the confidence of teams within an organization, whether they be new within a startup or senior experienced teams. Enthusiastic and focussed, Phil is an addition to any team, whether they be in crisis or on a trajectory for success.

My Skills

AI Specific Tools and Skills

As AI has transformed the product landscape, I've evolved my approach to integrate these capabilities throughout the entire product lifecycle. From using multiple AI models for research and validation to building AI-first development workflows, I've developed expertise in leveraging these tools to accelerate product discovery, prototype development, and user testing. My focus is on practical application that speeds up the product process without loss of quality. Gen AI & Prompt Engineering I use AI models like ChatGPT, Grok, and Perplexity for research, feedback loops, drafting, and analysis. The key is matching the right model to each task and crafting prompts for actionable insights. Vibe/Context Coding I use AI tools like Windsurf, Cursor, and Claude Code to quickly prototype solutions for user problems. My AI-first approach lets me move rapidly from concept to working product. Research & Presentations I use AI tools like NotebookLM, Claude, and Grok to research, analyze, and present product insights. This helps me transform data into compelling stories for stakeholders. Gen AI Rapid Prototyping I use Loveable, Replit, and v0 to prototype product concepts for user testing. My prompts include design guidelines to ensure brand consistency.

Core Product Tools and Skills

Over the past two decade plus, I've led product teams through the complete lifecycle from initial concept to market success. My experience spans building a wide variety applications and products, refining user experiences during market uncertainty, and scaling products that have generated significant revenue growth and expanded user engagement. Throughout this time, I've honed a diverse skillset and expertise in tools that I tailor to the specific needs of each organization I work with. Product I've used various product management tools like ProductBoard, Aha!, and Craft throughout my career to craft effective roadmaps and product plans. Design I create everything from wireframes to prototypes in Figma and other design tools. I understand design workflows and can communicate effectively with design teams. Execution I use project management tools like Jira, Asana, and Trello to track progress and align work with roadmaps. I also leverage data tools like Smartsheet and Airtable to inform product decisions. Analysis I use analytics tools like Tableau, Pendo, Mixpanel and Amplitude to track user behavior and business outcomes, aligning product decisions with company objectives.

Professional Certifications

Maven & AI Product Academy July - October 2025 Certifications: AI Product Management 101 - Building AI Products End to End AI Agent Product Management Advanced Product Leadership AI Product Management Bootcamp MIT Sloan School of Management September 2020 Certification: Blockchain Technologies: Business Information and Innovation The Blockchain Council February - October 2019 Certifications: Certified Blockchain Expert v2 Certified Blockchain Architect

Career

RockWallet - VP of Product & Design

Remote | June 2024 - July 2025 | Full Time Consultancy Consulting executive for a Toronto-based Crypto Wallet company, leading Product, Design, and Business Architecture teams; owned roadmap for in-market wallet enhancements, an innovative stablecoin launch, and 2-year strategic pivot to unannounced a next-gen product and feature capabilities - currently in development with an early 2026 release planned. Key Achievements & Metrics Onboarded Users Increase Jun 2024 - Jun 2025 KYC Completed Users Increase Q1 - Q2 2025 Transacting Users Increase Q1 - Q2 2025 Contributions & Achievements Highlights Led Strategic Company Pivot: Championed and secured board endorsement for a visionary 2-year strategy revamp, revolutionizing the product offering for mainstream personas and scaling. Utilizing AI-driven market insights and rigorous data analytics, this transformative strategic pivot positions the company and product towards exponential growth and elevated outcomes. Executive Leadership & Culture As an active participant in the executive team, I owned and led the company bi-weekly "All Hands" meetings, bringing significant uplift to company morale, culture and strategic alignment to the Product Vision. I received consistent feedback during my time in the company from peers and attendees about the success of these meetings and the improvements to company culture and strategic alignment. Team Leadership I rebuilt, guided and empowered the Product and Design teams, to drive onboarding & KYC enhancements in the RockWallet app yielding a 21% QoQ increase to fully onboarded users able to trade. Through a series of minor UX tweaks, and the addition of new features such as ACH Buy/Sell, I was able to increase Transacting users by 26% QoQ. This strategic stop the bleed initiative fueled a consistent monthly revenue surge from underperforming revenue forecasts to a MoM increase of approximately 12% since March 2025, enabling the engineering team to pivot focus to the v2 product. Zero to 1: 1sat Stablecoin Product Lead PM defining technical requirements, smart contracts, tokenomics functions, and treasury management for BSV ordinals based 1sat stablecoin; enabling <0.01¢ fees, near zero confirmation times and high TPS. Integrated into the v1 wallet, defined concepts for future potential disruptive features that are currently in active development. Leveraged AI for PM Efficiency: In response to the evolving AI landscape in product workflows, I spearheaded a strategic shift towards rapid discovery and requirement delivery through leveraging LLMs and cutting-edge AI tools. I was streamlined PRD creation and product development by an estimated 80%, accelerating project milestones and enabling swift, high-quality outputs for execution.

Blockchains Inc. - Sr. Dir / Head of Product

Remote | Nevada | October 2023 - May 2024 | Full Time Blockchains Inc. is a very well funded private company working in the Web3 Identity space, still in stealth-mode working on several major unannounced disruptive products across several verticals. Reporting to the COO, I led the product team and worked closely to manage multiple 3rd party design and engineering partners on: 3D Social Media and Gaming Product with Web3 ID integrations Web3 ID Management Product with SDK Several AI Products for ecosystem integration Contributions & Achievements Highlights Shaped Product Vision and Roadmap: Directed team in redefining overall product strategy for 3D social, Web3 gaming, and ID SDK products, enhancing founder alignment and positioning for market entry. Organizational Redesign: High involvement and strategic ownership in team restructuring post company pivot from internal to external engineering and design teams, actively involved as a stakeholder and leader in due-diligence/onboarding of development partners. Fostered Cross-Functional Collaboration: Aligned marketing, brand, and engineering teams; leveraged Unity/Blender expertise to build prototypes, boosting UX testing outcomes by 78% through targeted iterations. Designed Governance and Gamification: Crafted Web3 ID governance frameworks and Octalysis-based gamification features across products, optimizing for conversion, adoption, and engagement in AI-enhanced ecosystems. Applied Technical Expertise: Navigated blockchain, identity, tokenomics, and AI integrations to ensure technically robust, scalable solutions in a highly technical role.

Exodus Movement - VP of Product

Remote | January 2021 - January 2023 As the first Product hire, and a member of the executive team, I built and scaled the Product and Project Management functions from inception to high performance, transforming their MVP wallet products into a mainstream self-custodial crypto platform with high growth; helping them to achieve a $75M Reg A raise via the first ever blockchain-based stock, and integrating with Securitize for trading, and helped position for successful IPO which was achieved in early 2025. Key Achievements & Metrics User Growth Increase in monthly active users from 250k to 1M Revenue Growth Increased from $20M to $96M through strategic product initiatives Funding Raised Through Reg A offering, paving the way for IPO Deep Dive: The Exodus Web3 Wallet Initiative The Exodus Web3 Wallet, was a core zero to one initiative that I proposed, pitched, secured approvals and executed on with a small passionate team. I proposed this product as a "skunkworks" initiative, with the hypothesis that Exodus could thrive with a 3 product ecosystem to tackle emerging Web3 and DeFi adoption. Based on internal data, it became clear that we were bleeding users and funds with the launch of MetaMask by not offering Web3 and Defi connectivity. By providing users with connectivity between the three wallet formats and utility in connectivity across dApps, we limited the bleed in a down market and gained significant active and transacting users. The initiative was designed and built in just 3 months - under time, under budget, and demonstrated initial and growing Product Market Fit with over 100,000 active users opening Exodus Users to a multi-chain connected Web3 experience. As a part of this initiative, we also built a multi-chain DEX aggregator, integrating 3rd party DEX partners in a seamless experience to move tokens cross-chain, and swap to thousands of tokens with near zero friction. My Exodus Three Product Ecosystem Strategy Contributions & Achievements Highlights Drove Web3 Product Vision Crafted 1-3-5-year roadmap for crypto offerings, fueling 300% MAU growth (250K to 1M) and 380% revenue surge ($20M to $96M) through targeted initiatives, additional revenue streams and data driven UX enhancements. Launched Innovative Features Led zero-to-one development of Exodus Web3 Wallet, NFT Gallery/Marketplace (with Magic Eden), and ExoDEX DEX aggregator; integrated Wallet Connect for DeFi, staking/rewards, and NFT utility, driving 36% engagement uplift and reduced churn. Optimized User-Centric UX Streamlined onboarding and swaps via user testing and design principles, boosting satisfaction/retention for crypto-native and mainstream users—leveraging data analytics for 20%+ efficiency gains. Championed Cross-Functional Execution Aligned engineering, marketing, and design teams through weekly company All-Hands meetings to consistently deliver releases; utilized Figma, Asana, GitHub, and Jira for seamless project management and accelerated timelines with predictable release times that were published on the company website publicly. Enabled Funding and Scale Optimized the product strategy to support Reg A offering, raising $75M and paving IPO path amid hyper-growth, including a product-based path for users to contribute to the Reg A offering in-wallet via tokenized ALGO stock and integration with Securitize platform. Built a World Class Team Started as the first product hire and scaled the team to 14 across Product and Project Managers. Implemented team growth strategy with Product and Project Management Director roles. Positioned the team to work collaboratively with high agency across the various teams cross-functionally.

Additional Experience & Consultancies

Leadership Consultant Retrocedes LLC Remote | May 2023 – October 2023 Part Time Consultancy Leadership role for an educational/entertainment platform that provides B2C information about Blockchain and Web3 tech. Improved MRR from $46k to $150k, increasing engagement and retention through UX and data driven decisions. Researched and implemented AI tools to speed up content production workflow, and co-ordination. VP of Product Aerospace Technology Ventures Nashville, TN | Aug 2018 - Sep 2020 Full Time Employee Managed Product and Engineering Teams to create a multi-sided private aviation marketplace with a complex real-time aircraft pricing engine and global database with APIs. Gained board approval on a strategic pivot of the product based on industry feedback and discovery to build and deliver the optimal product for Private Aircraft Operators. Played a key ownership role in M&A efforts to create a JV between two companies and integrate their systems and people into the new company. Chief Operating Officer Apocalypse Studios Remote | Niagara, Ontario | Jan 2018 - Jan 2020 Part-Time Consultancy Consulted as COO to launch the studio based in Ontario, Canada in a part-time capacity, working on the game Deadhaus Sonata which is currently in active development. VP of Product Jammber (now Mosaic) Nashville, TN | Nov 2016 - June2018 Full Time Consultancy Shaped product strategy for a music technology ecosystem pre-seed start up, launching four products and improving data accuracy by 25% through AI/ML innovation and cross-functional leadership. Lead PM / Senior BA BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.) Nashville, TN | February 2014 - February 2017 Full Time Employee Established and led the product management function, underneath the Sr. Director and VP of Corporate Strategy, launching a royalty accounting system, global royalty database, multiple complex licensing systems aligned to Department of Justice specifications, and a mobile app for songwriters to report performances (led to 86% adoption in less than 6 months). Drove operational efficiency by leading a paperless initiative, reducing mailed statements by 74% (from 250K to 65K per quarter). Manager, Product Asda (Wal*Mart) Leeds, UK | July 2002 - November 2013 | Full Time 3 Years of Product Management + 8 years of technical roles including interim CTO of Wal*Mart Russia in 2008. Proposed, designed and built the UK product management team. Launched a variety of mobile apps, a home shopping system, and “ASDA 3D Me” , a 3D printing solution with national media coverage, driving Agile adoption and cross-functional technology strategies.

Entrepreneurial/Founder Experience

Co-Founder – Things and Stuff Nashville, TN | October 2022 – Present Things and Stuff is a two-person AI-First startup in progress, building innovative products that solve user problems, workflows and use-cases. By utilizing generative AI and first principles, we're re-imagining solutions from the ground up. As a side-hustle startup, I get to wear many hats, which has been a fantastic learning experience. It allows me to use all of my skills to their fullest, providing continual growth and development. We're currently working on two different AI-powered products with the aim to release them in 2025. With a relentless focus on user needs, we're leveraging the latest advancements in machine learning to create truly transformative experiences. Things and Stuff Site