SAMUEL J. OSTROM

Simi Valley, CA · (925) 878-1991 · sostrom1990@gmail.com · linkedin.com/in/samostrom/

 

SUMMARY

Versatile builder-operator and product leader. I ship, grow, and explain products, while implementing processes and solutions to business challenges uncovered through data analysis and close collaboration with customers. I thrive in dynamic environments where I can wear multiple hats, drive cross-functional impact, and help companies scale.

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CORE STRENGTHS 

Product strategy & roadmap · PLG/Growth · GTM & launches · Customer/Market research & analytics · Enablement & education · Agile (Scrum/Kanban) · Stakeholder alignment · Demos/onboarding · DevTools/QA · KPI/experiment design · Technical Support · Data/Feedback Analysis · Competitive Analysis · Content Creation

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EXPERIENCE

Autify - U.S. Product Leadership

Jun 2021 – Aug 2025

Official titles: Senior Product Manager · Product Marketing Manager 

Scope equivalent: Director-level platform & growth (multi-product + PLG + GTM)

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SCOPE AT A GLANCE

At Autify, I was employee #2 in the US/#17 worldwide and served as a GM-style product leader for the U.S. business, partnering with the CEO on what to ship, how to take it to market, and how to measure success. I owned strategy and roadmap for Autify’s software testing products; led launches, implemented the buyer’s journey, and established a self-serve motion from evaluation to purchase. I ran discovery, demos, and onboarding; translated field signal into clear priorities for engineering and marketing; and reset the website and messaging to reflect real product value. When Sales, CS, or execs needed direction, they came to me—I made tradeoffs, aligned teams, and kept momentum.

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OPERATING HATS (CONCURRENT)

• Product Management: multi-product roadmap, prioritization, cross-functional alignment, product releases.

• Growth / PLG: designed self-serve trial to purchase flow, onboarding, experiment cadence.

• Product Marketing: positioning/messaging, launch plans, content strategy & sales enablement.

• Customer Education / Field: Discovery, high-impact demos, onboarding playbooks.

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SELECTED OUTCOMES

• Trial to paid conversion +15% (feedback loops; prioritization reduced churn risk).

• Self-serve checkout drove +12% SMB revenue; lower sales-ops load.

• Customer education platform (“Autify University”) cut support tickets −40%.

• Pivoted product strategy during AI disruption; partnered with leadership to conceptualize and release Autify’s new products

• U.S. customers 1 to 36 in year one; MRR ~$1k to ~$20k.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES & IMPACT

• Drove pricing model changes through operational cost analysis and market research.

• Shipped Autify’s AI software testing product stack aligned to business goals.

• Analyzed feedback & product data to inform roadmap & feature development.

• Conducted extensive market research and competitive analysis.

• Ran early-adopter & launch programs; built reusable buyer journey frameworks.

• Built the content submission/review engine; trained Sales/Marketing/CS on structured feedback capture.

• Directed website messaging and layout to reflect evolving product value.

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Software Engineering Immersive (SEI)

May 2020 – Oct 2020

General Assembly

• Completed intensive software engineering program to deepen technical fluency.

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Medical Device Technical Specialist

Aug 2017 – May 2019

St. Jude Medical / Abbott — Cardiac Rhythm Management

• Sold, programmed, and maintained pacemakers/defibrillators; advised surgeons in-procedure; diagnosed arrhythmias and recommended interventions.

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Plumbing/Process Project Engineer

Dec 2015 – Aug 2017

ACCO Engineered Systems

• Managed plumbing/process projects end-to-end; field surveys, vendor negotiations, RFIs/change orders, and cost estimates.

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Process Technology Engineer

Jun 2014 – Dec 2015

BioMarin Pharmaceutical

• Special-projects PM: designed internal hardware; led viral decontamination program (prevention + eradication plan); procured autoclaves, CIP/chromatography skids; resolved plant issues.

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EDUCATION

• SEI General Assembly, Software Engineering (Oct 2020)

• Cal Poly Pomona, B.S. Biotechnology (Jun 2013)

• St. Jude/Abbott professional training (technical products, customer engagement)

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TOOLS

JIRA · Productboard · Notion · SQL · Figma · HubSpot/Salesforce/CRMs · Airtable · WordPress · Document360 · Holistics · SurveyMonkey · Zapier · Miro · Slack · Agile frameworks: Scrum/Kanban

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BEYOND WORK

• Husband and father; raising a wonderful daughter.

• Music Producer/DJ

• Chess and Board game enthusiast

• Travel: learn local language basics and cuisine in each country.