Product Manager

I build user-focused products and turn ambiguous problems into clear decisions. Specializing in AI-powered features, personalization systems, and 0→1 launches.

AI & Personalization 0→1 Launches Consumer + Platform Systems San Francisco Bay Area
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Nigina Phillips

About

I'm a product manager focused on engagement systems, personalization, and user behavior. I specialize in identifying what drives long-term retention and translating it into product strategy and measurable impact.

From founding a premium ski-apparel brand to launching GenAI-powered discovery features at scale, I bring a blend of technical depth and consumer intuition to every product I build.

San Francisco Bay Area • AI-enabled product delivery • Experimentation • Metrics & dashboards

Experience

Founder / Product Lead — Alpivie

May 2025 – Present

  • Founded Alpivie, a premium women's ski-apparel brand combining function and flattering design.
  • Led end-to-end product development of ski suits: fabric research (softshell + fleece layering), fit prototyping, colorway testing, and supplier sourcing.
  • Managing go-to-market roadmap, budgeting, and pricing strategy to prepare for 2026 launch.

Associate Director, Product — Castle

Nov 2023 – Apr 2025 • AI, personalization, and cross-platform systems

  • Led product strategy and delivery for a B2B2C platform powering 100+ brands, including GenAI-powered discovery and personalization systems.
  • Launched GenAI-powered discovery features that increased member engagement by 22% and improved free-to-paid conversion by 7.5%.
  • Led a re-haul of onboarding experience that resulted in 10% increase in email registrations, and 5% trial activation.

Senior Product Manager — Hatch

Oct 2019 – Oct 2023 • Mobile app, personalization, IoT devices

  • Owned end-to-end product strategy for a mobile + connected-device ecosystem, including content discovery, personalization, and engagement loops.
  • Re-architected content discovery and content display increasing content engagement by 2.5x.
  • Led 0→1 launch for connected device and mobile ecosystem, Hatch Rest 2nd gen, partnering with cross-functional teams to deliver cohesive user experience from first touch to daily habit formation.
  • Defined and tracked core engagement metrics (DAU, content consumption, retention cohorts), conducting extensive user research to understand how different segments derived value.

Product Manager — Berminal

Jan 2019 – Sep 2019 • Mobile app, personalization

  • Defined product strategy and roadmap for cryptocurrency video platform, working in fast-paced startup environment.

Technical Project Management Intern — LinkedIn

Summer 2018

  • Gained experience at scale managing technical projects within INFRA organization.

Skills

Product & Technical

0→1 Product Launches • AI-Enabled Product Delivery • GenAI-Powered Features • Platform & Ecosystem Design • Technical Architecture Collaboration

AI & Personalization

Personalization & Recommendation Systems • GenAI Features • Discovery Systems • AI Feature Integration & Monitoring

Data & Decision-Making

A/B Testing & Experimentation • SQL • Data-Informed Prioritization • Retention & Engagement Analysis • Analytics & Dashboards

User Research

User Research & Behavioral Analysis • Segmentation • Hypothesis-driven Iteration • Systems Thinking

Education

Stanford Continuing Studies

2025

Generative AI for Product Managers

Dartmouth College

2019

Master of Engineering Management

Nazarbayev University — Kazakhstan

2016

B.Sc., Robotics & Mechatronics • GPA: 3.59/4.00

Selected Work

LaneBreak

Coming Soon to App Store!

Lanebreak is a personalized swim coaching app that turns Apple Watch swim data into actionable training guidance and readiness recommendations.

It's still WIP, but below is a sneak peek! I am swimmer, so I am basically building this for myself and the rest of enthusiasts!

Fridge to Fork

Learn More

Fridge to Fork is a smart kitchen assistant that turns fridge contents into personalized meal plans. Built as part of Stanford Continuing Studies (Generative AI for Product Managers), I led research, product strategy, system architecture, and go-to-market design to explore how AI can reduce food waste and cooking decision fatigue.

Alpivie — Premium Ski Apparel Brand

Check Out Website

Founded and leading a premium women's ski-apparel brand from concept to launch. Full ownership of product development, branding, and go-to-market strategy for 2026 launch.

AI Discovery & Personalization

Designed and shipped GenAI-powered discovery experiences at Castle that improved engagement by 22% and conversion by 7.5%. Built measurable loops: hypotheses → instrumentation → experiments → iteration.

Connected Device Ecosystem

Check It Out

Led 0→1 launch of Hatch Rest 2nd gen, building a cohesive cross-platform experience connecting mobile and hardware into a daily habit loop. Content engagement increased 2.5x through re-architected discovery.

Contact

San Francisco Bay Area

nigina.des@gmail.com

(603) 941-8587

Email me LinkedIn