MELISSA LACI
Las Vegas
Summary
Melissa transforms ambitious ideas into scalable realities. Her journey began at Zappos, where she led culture and social media initiatives during the company's growth to its billion-dollar Amazon acquisition. After overcoming severe brain trauma through innovative healing approaches, she became a Coach-sultant at Delivering Happiness, helping organizations build transformative cultures. As a founder and product leader, she has built multiple successful ventures from concept to scale, including BANQ's innovative neo-banking platform and GigPay's global payment infrastructure. Her approach combines deep product intuition with an extraordinary ability to nurture human potential.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
Chief Product Officer
GIGPAY
03.2024 - Current
- Spearheading design and development of the GigPay consumer and business applications
- Spearheading a global expansion strategy with a focus on institutional partnerships and business account solutions.
- Orchestrated an offshore development strategy that reduced costs by 30% while maintaining product excellence.
- Created marketing policies and procedures, evaluating and revising to maximize team efforts.
Founder & Chief Product Officer
CONFOUNDERS.CO
05.2022 - Current
- Advising founders and product teams on marketing strategy, brand positioning, and innovation
- Designing and building go-to-market products for clients
- Creating impactful go-to-market playbooks for companies designed to shape the future
- Coaching executives on marketing execution, leadership, and high-growth scaling strategies
- Developing differentiated brand narratives that resonate with target audiences and drive customer acquisition
Fractional Chief Product Officer
MAGNITUDE OF CHANGE
08.2023 - 01.2025
- Led marketing innovation for a martech company focused on behavioral change.vioral change
- Oversaw the design and build of ORION, a programmatic marketing platform designed for government agencies and mission-driven brands
- Implemented engagement strategies that drove policy adoption and community impact
- Crafted messaging frameworks that increased platform adoption by 200%
Fractional CPO
Version2
06.2023 - 10.2024
- Drove growth and innovation in AdTech division, optimizing digital advertising solutions
- Led integrated product marketing initiatives that accelerated customer acquisition
- Developed targeted marketing strategies that increased customer retention and lifetime value
- Aligned product development roadmaps with market demands and competitive positioning
Chief Product Officer - FortressPay
FORTRESS IO
05.2022 - 06.2023
- Established strategic partnerships with 5 major financial institutions, expanding distribution channels by 120%
- Conceived and executed B2B marketing strategy that increased business account adoption by a factor of 3.5x
- Increased client API adoption by 40% in three months through targeted marketing campaigns and strategic positioning
- Developed international growth framework resulting in 35% user growth in emerging markets
- Led asset-backed payment innovations, creating new wealth management solutions for high-net-worth clients
- Orchestrated marketing for high-profile partnerships with Lionel Messi, Manny Pacquiao, and Shaq that generated 15M+ impressions
Co-Founder & Director of Product
BANQ
08.2019 - 12.2021
- Cofounder and partner overseeing innovation, product features, marketing and engineering.
- Spearheaded creation of innovative fintech platform, managing every aspect from inception to launch.
- Established and managed offshore development team, reducing operational costs by 40%
- Created innovative marketing campaigns that drove 225% YoY growth in business accounts
Founder & Chief Product Officer
MENO DESIGN
06.2013 - 08.2019
- Ran a successful product marketing and UX/UI design studio working with Fortune 500 companies and Y-Combinator startups
- Designed and launched high-impact products and marketing campaigns for brands like Cisco, Zappos, and Bevmo!
- Developed comprehensive marketing strategies that integrated product design with brand storytelling
- Created customer acquisition frameworks that consistently exceeded client KPIs
Head of Culture & Social Marketing
ZAPPOS
02.2007 - 02.2011
- Played a pivotal role in growing Zappos from startup to billion-dollar acquisition
- Developed pioneering social media and content strategies that increased traffic by 150% and engagement by 300%
- Created the company's distinctive brand voice and cultural marketing approach
- Implemented innovative customer engagement strategies that became industry benchmarks
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Digital Marketing
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA12-2007
Skills
- Team Building & Leadership
- Product Design
- Product Marketing
- Brand Development and Positioning
- Digital Marketing and Growth Strategy
- Go-to-Market Planning and Execution
- Fintech and Payments Applications
- Cross functional leadership
- Stakeholder management
- Product roadmapping
- Strategic visioning
- Brand positioning
Locations
- Las Vegas, NV
- San Francisco, CA
Timeline
Chief Product Officer
GIGPAY
03.2024 - Current
Fractional Chief Product Officer
MAGNITUDE OF CHANGE
08.2023 - 01.2025
Fractional CPO
Version2
06.2023 - 10.2024
Founder & Chief Product Officer
CONFOUNDERS.CO
05.2022 - Current
Chief Product Officer - FortressPay
FORTRESS IO
05.2022 - 06.2023
Co-Founder & Director of Product
BANQ
08.2019 - 12.2021
Founder & Chief Product Officer
MENO DESIGN
06.2013 - 08.2019
Head of Culture & Social Marketing
ZAPPOS
02.2007 - 02.2011
Bachelor of Arts - Digital Marketing
San Francisco State University
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