Derek Zumsteg
About Derek Zumsteg
Derek Zumsteg serves as the Head of Product and Senior Product Director at Sila, where he plays a crucial role in product strategy and development. With extensive experience in product management across various companies, he has a strong background in transitioning business models and collaborating with sales teams.
Work at Sila
Derek Zumsteg has been serving as the Head of Product and Senior Product Director at Sila since 2023. In this role, he plays a crucial part in shaping product strategy and roadmaps, overseeing the entire process from ideation to prioritization and shipping. He is instrumental in transitioning Sila from a middleware BaaS provider model to a new business direction. His responsibilities also include collaborating with sales teams to identify solutions for prospective customers and contributing to fundraising efforts by providing a product perspective. Additionally, he is involved in discovering new features and products tailored to Sila's existing customer base.
Previous Experience
Before joining Sila, Derek Zumsteg held several significant positions in product management. He worked at Cross River as the Director of Product Management from 2020 to 2023. Prior to that, he was a Product Management Strategist and Consultant at Galois, Inc. from 2019 to 2020. His earlier roles include Senior Lead Technical Product Manager at Expedia from 2010 to 2012 and Senior Product Manager at Simply Measured from 2013 to 2014. He also served as Lead Product Manager at Manifold.co from 2018 to 2019 and as a Senior Program Manager at Zillow.com from 2012 to 2013.
Education and Expertise
Derek Zumsteg holds a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Washington. He has also pursued further education in project management, achieving a certificate from the AT&T School of Business at Stevens Institute of Technology. Since 2022, he has been studying at the CPO Accelerator and the Product Institute, enhancing his expertise in product management.
Skills and Contributions
Derek Zumsteg possesses a diverse skill set that includes product strategy, market expansion, and customer engagement. He prioritizes work that expands Sila's existing business and addresses customer requests. He identifies partnerships and providers to broaden Sila's offerings when internal development is not feasible. His role requires him to handle various tasks and urgent issues typical of a startup environment, showcasing his adaptability and problem-solving abilities.