Product Thinking for Non-Product Founders with Women in HealthTech & Xmartlabs
- Date
- 2026-01-28
- Location
- New York, NY, USA
- Host
- Xmartlabs
About this event
If you are building a company without a formal product background, you have probably felt the pressure of making product decisions in real time while also fundraising, hiring, selling, and operating. This event is designed for that exact moment: when you know product thinking matters, but you want a clearer framework for how to apply it to your business. Hosted with Women in HealthTech and Xmartlabs, this in-person New York gathering brings founders and operators together for a practical conversation about building better products with more intention. About the Event Product thinking is not reserved for people with "Product" in their title. For many early-stage teams, especially founder-led ones, product decisions happen before there is a dedicated product hire, which means founders are often setting priorities, defining user problems, and shaping roadmap direction themselves. This meetup focuses on what non-product founders need to understand to lead product conversations well. Rather than treating product as a separate function that only comes later, the event centers on how product thinking can become part of your everyday decision-making from the start. Women in HealthTech and Xmartlabs are bringing together a community that cares about building thoughtfully, learning from peers, and having more grounded conversations about what makes products actually work. Expect a format that balances insight, discussion, and time to connect with people facing similar challenges. Whether you are working in healthtech or adjacent spaces, the value of a strong product mindset is immediate: clearer priorities, better customer understanding, and fewer wasted cycles. This event is built to help make those ideas actionable. What to Expect Expect an evening that feels useful, social, and focused. The event is designed for in-person connection, so there will be room not just to listen, but to talk through real product questions with other founders, builders, and community members. You can expect programming that may include: A practical discussion on what product thinking looks like when you are not a trained product manager Insights on translating customer needs into product direction Conversation around prioritization, tradeoffs, and deciding what to build next Perspective on how founders can create better alignment between product, business goals, and user value Time for networking with other attendees in the New York startup and healthtech community This is especially relevant if your current product process feels reactive. Many founders know they need to talk to users more, define priorities more clearly, or avoid building features based purely on instinct, but they are looking for a more disciplined way to do that. The event is a chance to explore those topics in a room with people who understand the realities of early-stage decision-making. Because this is a community-driven meetup, the atmosphere should feel approachable rather than formal. Come ready to ask questions, compare notes, and leave with a stronger sense of how product thinking can support your company at its current stage. Why Attend For non-product founders, product can often feel like a mix of intuition, urgency, and constant compromise. This event helps turn that into a more deliberate practice. You will leave better equipped to think about product not just as feature delivery, but as a way of identifying meaningful problems, testing assumptions, and focusing your team on what matters most. Attending can help you: Build confidence in product conversations, even if your background is not in product management Better understand how to frame user problems before jumping to solutions Learn how other founders and operators approach prioritization under real constraints Connect product choices more directly to customer value and business outcomes Meet peers who are navigating similar challenges in healthtech, startups, and founder-led teams There is also real value in being in the room with others who are figuring this out at the same time. Product challenges can feel isolating when every decision carries time and resource implications. Community events like this make it easier to pressure-test your thinking, hear other approaches, and sharpen your own. If you are at the stage where every product decision matters, this is a chance to step back, get clearer on your framework, and return to your company with stronger instincts and better questions. Practical Details This is an in-person event in New York, USA, happening on Wednesday, January 28 at 5:30 PM EST. The in-person format makes it especially well suited for candid discussion and meaningful networking, so plan to stay present and make the most of the room. A few practical notes: Location type: In person in New York Date and time: Wednesday, January 28 at 5:30 PM EST Event style: Community meetup with a product-focused discussion and networking Best preparation: Come with a current product challenge, question, or decision you are working through This event will likely be most valuable if you arrive ready to participate rather than just observe. Think about where you are getting stuck today, whether that is roadmap prioritization, understanding users, product strategy, or translating vision into execution. If you want sharper product judgment, stronger founder-to-founder conversation, and a useful evening with people building in and around healthtech, this is a strong room to be in.
Who should attend
This is for people who are building, deciding, and learning in real time, especially if product is part of your job but not your formal training. - You are a **founder without a product background** and want a clearer way to make product decisions, set priorities, and evaluate what to build next. - You are building in **healthtech or a related startup space** and want to learn from a community that understands the complexity of creating products in this environment. - You are an **early-stage operator, startup leader, or cross-functional team member** who influences product direction and wants stronger frameworks for customer-centered thinking. - You are currently dealing with questions around **roadmaps, user needs, feature tradeoffs, or product strategy** and would benefit from practical discussion with peers. - You want **high-quality networking**, not random small talk, and are looking to meet thoughtful founders and builders in New York. - You learn best by combining **real conversation with actionable ideas** and want to leave with something you can use in your company right away.