Bianca Starling

AI-Native Product Leadership

AI-native learning, community, and marketplace systems.

Product architectures for discovery, engagement loops, and creator ecosystems.

Bianca Starling — I turn product complexity into scalable systems across AI discovery, engagement loops, and creator ecosystems.

Previously building systems at
Skillshare · SENAI · Voxy · Unyleya
AI Discovery Systems Community Growth Engines Learning Platforms at Scale Creator Marketplace Models
0% daily engagement lift Skillshare Creative Feed
0% revenue growth Unyleya CMS platform
0+ schools transformed SENAI national ecosystem
0 min to publish a course down from 5 days
0% cloud cost reduction SENAI digital ops modernization

Core Positioning

Defining AI-native systems across learning, community, and marketplace environments.

The operating throughline is consistent: architect discovery, behavior loops, and platform foundations that scale outcomes instead of isolated features.

Flagship Systems

Three systems that define my operating range

All 14 projects

Systems

Product systems, not just project pages

Explore the operating modules behind the work: architecture, principles, and linked execution evidence.

How I Think

Product lenses I apply in every environment

Product principle

AI should augment judgment, not cosplay as magic.

Product principle

Great marketplaces are behavior systems, not catalog pages.

Product principle

Discovery is an operating habit, not a workshop ritual.

Product principle

Community products need loops, not one-off features.

Selected writing

How I think about AI, discovery, learning systems, and marketplaces

Contact

Open to leadership conversations in AI product strategy, learning systems, and community-led growth.

If you're building products where AI, behavior design, and platform strategy need to work as one system, let's talk.

About

Product leader focused on AI-powered products that drive measurable outcomes across learning and community platforms.

I build systems that connect human behavior, product strategy, and operational execution to unlock growth.

Key Contributions & Impact

  • AI Strategy & Product Innovation: Shaping Skillshare's AI strategy and designing a multi-agent MCP foundation for intelligent discovery.

  • Community Growth & Engagement: Delivered 25% increase in daily engagement through the Creative Feed and recommendations.

  • Continuous Discovery & Insights: Built discovery operating habits and accelerated qualitative synthesis with AI support.

  • Marketplace Expansion: Launched monetization paths through digital products and Creator Hub experiences.

  • EdTech Transformation: Led SENAI digital initiatives across 500+ schools and presented at Google's Government & Education Summit.

Awards

Agility Award

Q1 2025

Awarded for finding creative ways to ship when resources were constrained.

  • Resilience
  • Complex Initiatives
  • Creative Solutions
  • Resource Optimization

Curiosity Award

Q2 2024

Awarded for applying AI innovation in pragmatic product development.

  • AI Innovation
  • Practical Delivery
  • Efficiency

Voxy Impressive Performance Award

Jan 2023

Global recognition for high impact during organizational change.

  • Exceptional Impact
  • Global Recognition

Experience

Career Storyline

Foundation Chapter 01

Web Designer -> Instructional Designer -> Production Manager

IESB · Brasilia, Brazil

Turning point

Learned how digital learning systems actually work behind the scenes and scaled content operations.

Context

Started in hands-on production and moved into instructional architecture while distance education scaled quickly in Brazilian higher education.

Scope

Owned content production workflows, didactic quality, and cross-team delivery for online programs.

Outcome highlights

  • Built and published web-based learning experiences on Blackboard LMS
  • Moved from execution to course architecture and pedagogical design
  • Coordinated production pipelines for multidisciplinary teams
BlackboardHTML/CSSInstructional DesignContent Operations
Scale Shift Chapter 01

E-learning Manager

FAZU · Uberaba, Brazil

Turning point

Built the operational infrastructure of an online school, not only isolated courses.

Context

FAZU needed a full institutional distance-learning operation, including platform, process, pedagogy, and regulatory execution.

Scope

Led end-to-end e-learning operations across LMS setup, course structure, delivery readiness, and accreditation workflows.

Outcome highlights

  • Implemented Moodle LMS for institutional distance learning
  • Coordinated accreditation-related course workflows
  • Aligned pedagogy, operations, and platform delivery
MoodleAcademic OperationsCurriculum Delivery
Product Spark Chapter 01

Product Design and Platform Innovation

IMP Online · Brazil

Turning point

Validated a streaming-style learning experience before full product implementation.

Context

The core experience was functional but not engaging enough for modern digital learning behavior.

Scope

Prototyped and validated a video-first learning UX before committing to larger platform investment.

Outcome highlights

  • Built an MVP UI layer on top of existing Moodle infrastructure
  • Validated navigation and video-first learning behavior
  • Evolved toward multi-platform product delivery
MVP ValidationUXVideo-first Learning
Business Inflection Chapter 02

Product Manager

Unyleya Educacional · Brasilia, Brazil

Turning point

Transitioned fully into product leadership with measurable business outcomes.

Context

Unyleya needed faster publishing velocity and stronger digital product differentiation in a competitive education market.

Scope

Led CMS and student experience product strategy tying operational efficiency to growth outcomes.

Outcome highlights

  • Reduced course publishing time from 1 week to 31 minutes
  • Contributed to 200% revenue increase through CMS modernization
  • Led streaming-inspired student platform and mobile app strategy
CMSMobile AppsProduct StrategyUX
National Impact Chapter 03

Product Manager

SENAI National Department · Brasilia, Brazil

Turning point

Led national digital transformation work connecting strategy, educator tools, and learner experience.

Context

SENAI required a coherent national digital ecosystem to scale quality learning across a large school network.

Scope

Connected strategy, repository infrastructure, teacher enablement, and learner products with public-private AI collaboration.

Outcome highlights

  • Contributed to digital transformation across 500+ schools
  • Delivered SCORM + Google Classroom integration and centralized resource infrastructure
  • Built AI-driven skills-gap concept with Google and Atos
Digital TransformationxAPISCORMARAI Partnerships
Operating Model Chapter 04

Senior Product Manager

Voxy · New York, USA (Remote)

Turning point

Built stronger product operating systems: discovery habits, design consistency, and platform integration.

Context

After growth and acquisitions, Voxy needed stronger product operating discipline and unified platform direction.

Scope

Led platform and process improvements spanning discovery, publishing, and cross-system integration.

Outcome highlights

  • Rebuilt publishing platform for multilingual content creation
  • Institutionalized continuous discovery and user testing loops
  • Led integration efforts after acquisitions
Continuous DiscoveryPublishing PlatformIntegrationDesign System
AI-First Leadership Chapter 05

Senior PM -> Lead PM (Nov 2025)

Skillshare · New York, USA (Remote)

Turning point

Scaled impact across engagement, marketplace growth, and company-wide AI strategy.

Context

Skillshare needed to grow community engagement while establishing a practical AI foundation across product surfaces.

Scope

Led initiatives across feed engagement, creator monetization, product-led operating process, Product Intelligence Hub development, and MCP-based AI strategy as Senior PM and later Lead PM.

Outcome highlights

  • Launched Creative Feed and drove 25% daily engagement lift
  • Designed Model Context Protocol (MCP) for external AI interoperability
  • Expanded monetization via digital products and Creator Hub
  • Introduced a product-led process to strengthen discovery, prioritization, and delivery discipline
  • Defined Product Intelligence Hub direction to connect signals, insights, and AI-assisted decision-making
AI StrategyMCPMarketplaceCommunity GrowthProduct-led ProcessProduct Intelligence HubCMS

Work

Unyleya Educacional 2018 - 2020

Course Publishing Platform

Redesigned the course publishing workflow from 1 week to 31 minutes, enabling faster content iteration and contributing to 200% revenue growth.

1 week → 31 minutes publishing time

CMS Publishing EdTech Workflow Automation
Unyleya 2018 - 2020

Teacher Operations & Learner Experience

Streamlined teacher operations and redesigned the learner experience interface, improving operational efficiency and student engagement metrics.

Operations UX Design EdTech Teacher Tools
SENAI 2020–2022

SENAI Digital School — National Digital Transformation

Led the nationwide digital transformation of Brazil's largest vocational training network — modernizing 500+ schools and securing multimillion-dollar funding.

Digital transformation across 500+ schools; multimillion-dollar funding secured; presented at Google Summit

Digital Transformation EdTech Government Scale
SENAI 2020–2022

Skills Gap AI Engine

Built an AI engine with Google and Atos that analyzes student profiles, job market demands, and SENAI's course catalog to recommend personalized learning paths.

AI-driven career guidance aligning training with labor market needs — developed with Google and Atos

AI Recommendation Systems Career Matching EdTech
SENAI 2020–2022

Educational Resources Repository

Built the Portal de Recursos Didáticos SENAI — a pioneering platform with the world's first SCORM-Google Classroom integration and an in-house cloud solution that cut storage costs by 70%.

70% cloud storage cost reduction; world-first SCORM + Google Classroom integration; nationwide teacher community

Platform SCORM EdTech Infrastructure
SENAI 2020–2022

SENAI Space — Augmented Reality Learning App

Built an AR app that brings 3D industrial machinery and equipment to life in classrooms — available on iOS and Android.

AR Mobile EdTech Product Launch
SENAI 2020–2022

Virtual Bookshelf

Launched the SENAI Estante Virtual — a free library of 1000+ educational titles on iOS, Android, and web, with offline reading for students in low-connectivity areas.

1000+ free titles; iOS, Android, and web; offline-first for rural Brazil

Mobile Library EdTech Accessibility
Voxy 2022–2024

Adopting Continuous Discovery at Voxy

Introduced Continuous Discovery Habits across Voxy's product team — establishing structured interview cadences, opportunity mapping, and hypothesis testing that became core to how the team shipped.

Continuous Discovery User Research Product Process Teresa Torres
Voxy 2022–2024

Publishing Platform Rebuild

Led the full rebuild of Voxy's AI-powered publishing platform, enabling multilingual course authoring and significantly improving publishing productivity.

Publishing Platform AI Design Systems Integration
Voxy 2022 - 2023

Productboard Rollout & Product Operations

Designed and rolled out a structured product request and prioritization system using Productboard, replacing ad-hoc stakeholder management with a transparent, repeatable process.

Product Operations Tooling Stakeholder Management Process Design
Skillshare 2024–2025

AI Strategy: Semantic Search, Conversational Discovery & MCP

Led Skillshare's AI strategy across semantic search, conversational discovery, and MCP architecture to improve how learners discover and navigate content.

Unified AI foundation for natural-language discovery, learner guidance, and internal AI tooling

AI Strategy MCP Semantic Search RAG Platform
Skillshare 2024

Creative Feed & Community Platform

Transformed Skillshare from a content marketplace into a creative community platform by launching a personalized feed and follow system.

25% increase in daily engagement

Community Engagement Feed Discovery
Skillshare 2024–2025

Marketplace Expansion — 1-1 Sessions & Digital Products

Expanded Skillshare's creator marketplace beyond class subscriptions by integrating 1-1 sessions and digital products from an acquisition.

Marketplace Creator Economy Monetization Integration
Skillshare 2024

Headless CMS & Content Infrastructure

Introduced a headless CMS architecture using Builder.io to decouple marketing and discovery surfaces from engineering cycles.

CMS Builder.io Infrastructure Experimentation

Skills

Strategy

  • AI Strategy & Vision
  • 0-to-1 Product Development
  • Platform Strategy
  • Post-Acquisition Integration
  • Marketplace Growth
  • Product Roadmapping

Discovery

  • Continuous Discovery Habits
  • Qualitative Research Systems
  • User Research & Testing
  • Opportunity Framing
  • Multi-Source Insight Synthesis
  • Problem Framing

Technical

  • Semantic Search & Vector Retrieval
  • Multi-Agent Systems (MCP)
  • LLM Integrations
  • Information Architecture & Taxonomy
  • CMS & Publishing Platforms
  • Recommendation Systems
  • API Design

Tools

  • Dovetail
  • Productboard
  • Pendo
  • Mixpanel
  • Maze
  • Algolia
  • Builder.io
  • Figma
  • Jira
  • Tableau

Education

  • Bachelor in Product Design & Graphic Design

    University of Brasilia · 2011

  • Mechatronics Engineering (Coursework)

    University of Brasilia · 2004-2006

Certifications

  • Product-led Certification

    Pendo & Mind the Product

  • Identifying Hidden Assumptions

    Product Talk Academy

  • Educational Product Manager

    Future Education

  • Strategic Digital Transformation

    TDS Company


Articles & Talks

Article 2026-02-18

Designing AI Features That Augment, Not Replace

The AI features that fail are the ones trying to replace human judgment. The ones that succeed make humans better at being human. Here's the design framework I use to tell the difference.

Article 2026-02-11

The PM's Guide to Recommendation Systems

You don't need to understand the math. You do need to understand what recommendation systems can and can't do — and how to design products around them. Here's the practical version.

Article 2026-02-04

EdTech at Scale: What I Learned Transforming 500 Schools

The systems, the surprises, and the hard-won lessons from building a national digital learning ecosystem across 500+ SENAI schools in Brazil — and what it taught me about product at scale.

Article 2026-01-28

How to Design an MCP Layer for Your Product

What the Model Context Protocol actually is, why it matters for product managers, and how to design an MCP integration that makes your product genuinely smarter — not just AI-washed.

Article 2026-01-14

Continuous Discovery in Practice: The Weekly Habit That Changes Everything

How a simple weekly interview habit transformed product decisions at Voxy — and why Teresa Torres's continuous discovery framework is the closest thing to a PM superpower I've found.

Keynote Oct 2025

Closing the Gap Between Qualitative and Quantitative Insights with AI

Product Insights Summit

Article 2023

Interview about Continuous Discovery

Product Talk

Talk 2021

Government and Education Summit Speaker

Google Cloud

Workshop 2021

How to develop new digital businesses using the Lean Startup framework

Menos 30 Fest


Contact

Let's talk

Open to discussing product leadership roles, AI product strategy, and interesting challenges in EdTech and community platforms.