Platform Product Manager
Daniel Chao Product Builder
[ 01 — About me ]
I build platforms in some of the most regulated corners of tech, turning a blank page into infrastructure that drives business revenue at scale.
Currently, I'm a product leader at Homebase, where I own Partnerships & Distribution: building the integrations and channel relationships that put our team-management platform in front of small businesses.
[ 02 — Product values ]
How I build
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01
Build for simplicity
Complexity is a tax every user pays. I cut scope until the core loop is obvious, because a product that needs explaining is a product that needs fixing.
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02
Ship with quality
Speed matters, but rework is slower than doing it right once. Quality is what earns trust from banks, insurers, and partners who can't afford surprises.
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03
Own the outcome
Shipping the feature is the start, not the finish. I hold myself to the revenue, adoption, and partner results the roadmap promised.
[ 03 — Craft ]
Top of my craft
B2B API Platforms
APIs are products. Developers are the users. I build endpoints that hold from the first partner to the hundredth, with real money on every call.
0→1 Product
Blank page to shipped product: find the wedge, ship the first version, talk to customers. Three times, three industries.
Distribution
The best product loses if nobody sees it. Partnerships, embedded channels, and APIs take a platform further than any sales team.
[ 04 — Career ]
I own how Homebase reaches small businesses beyond direct sales: embedded partnerships across the SMB SaaS ecosystem, public APIs, and franchise expansion. The mandate is a 12-to-24-month distribution roadmap and the partner relationships to deliver it.
Zero to one. I built the B2B API platform that turned Gainbridge's direct-to-consumer annuities into insurance infrastructure other companies could embed: a new category, from blank page to revenue.
Built the credit-card processing platform from inception: the APIs and ledger infrastructure that let brands launch credit programs on modern rails.
Ran product on Zelle P2P payments at Chase scale: 22M+ users and $100B+ in annualized volume moving through the products my team shipped.
SOX compliance and internal controls for banks. This is where I learned how regulated institutions actually work from the inside.
Financial advisory and risk consulting. First job, and the foundation for everything regulated that came after.
[ 05 — Case studies ]
Selected work
Chase Contextual Nudges
ML-driven nudges that moved P2P payments back to Zelle.
Greenlight Family Cash Card
Credit rails that turn family spending into kids' investments.
Save Market Trust Retirement
A first-of-its-kind retirement product: principal protection with market upside.
