Dr. Kam Star

Dr. Kam Star

Chief Product & Technology Alchemist
Startup to Private Equity Value Creator

Visionary leader with 25+ years transforming businesses through strategic product innovation. Expert in AI commercialisation, portfolio optimisation, and post-M&A integration. Builder of high-performing global teams across the entire lifecycle - from founding ventures to scaling public companies and driving PE-backed growth. Passionate about creating products users love and delivering returns investors can count on.

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Maximising Portfolio Value in High-Stakes Environments

From writing my first commercial software at twelve years old - reducing 10-minute engineering calculations to 5 seconds - to driving €100M+ in ARR growth, I've built my career on one principle: Transforming product portfolios to deliver exceptional returns.

My approach blends strategic vision with practical execution, helping product teams navigate complex PE environments where both speed and precision matter. I bridge the gap between investment thesis and product reality through:

  • Portfolio Optimisation — Identifying high-value opportunities that align with PE investment timelines
  • AI Commercialisation — Transforming innovation into revenue-generating products that solve real business problems
  • M&A Integration — Unifying product teams and portfolios to accelerate growth after acquisition
  • High-Performance Teams — Building cultures where strategic execution thrives under pressure

With 25+ years leading product strategy in high-stakes environments, I specialise in accelerating growth for private equity-backed companies. At Chaos, I increased ARR by 25% to over €100M within 18 months. At Blue Prism, I expanded the product portfolio from $50M to $250M+ ARR, contributing directly to its $1.6B acquisition.

As founder of PlayGen (£100M+ in joint ventures) and Digital Shoreditch (40,000+ participants, £2M annual turnover without external funding), I bring entrepreneurial instinct to corporate environments.

With a PhD in Computer Science and Psychology, advanced AI studies at MIT Sloan and London School of Economics and Masters in Architecture, I combine technical depth with strategic thinking. Let's connect to discuss how I can help transform your product portfolio into your next success story.

£3B+
Products Delivered
50+
Products Created
25+
Years Experience
2M+
Happy Users

Skills & Expertise

Product Leadership

  • Product and Portfolio Strategy
  • Post-M&A Portfolio Optimization
  • Product Life Cycle Management
  • Customer Centricity & Research
  • Vision, Strategy, Roadmap
  • Go-to-Market & Evangelising
  • Innovation Pipeline Management
  • Data-Driven Product Decisions

Design Skills

  • User Experience Design
  • Journey Mapping & User Research
  • Rapid Prototyping
  • Design Systems Implementation
  • UX/UI Optimization
  • Accessibility & Inclusive Design
  • Storytelling & Communication
  • Creative Strategy

Business Leadership

  • Entrepreneurship & Ventures
  • Startups & Scaleups
  • M&A Integration Strategy
  • P&L Responsibility
  • Value-Based Pricing Models
  • Cross-Industry Implementation
  • Market Expansion Strategy
  • VC & PE Value Creation

Technical Architecture

  • Enterprise Automation
  • Cloud Transformation
  • System & Cloud Architecture
  • API & Integration Strategy
  • Cybersecurity Governance
  • Technology Stack Optimization
  • Scalable SaaS Platforms
  • Legacy System Modernization

Artificial Intelligence

  • AI Product Commercialization
  • AI Ethics & Governance
  • Generative AI Implementation
  • Natural Language Processing
  • Computer Vision Solutions
  • MLOps & AI Infrastructure
  • AI-Human Collaboration
  • AI Strategy & Roadmapping

Go-To-Market Expertise

  • Product Positioning & Messaging
  • Market Entry Strategy
  • Launch Planning & Execution
  • Channel Strategy Development
  • Sales Enablement
  • Market Segmentation
  • Competitive Differentiation
  • Customer Acquisition Strategy

Innovation Methods

  • Design Thinking Facilitation
  • Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
  • SCAMPER & TRIZ
  • Innovation Portfolio Management
  • User Research Methodologies
  • Systematic Inventive Thinking
  • Collaborative Ideation
  • Rapid Experimentation

Simulation & Gaming

  • Serious Games Development
  • Simulation Design
  • Game Mechanics & Systems
  • Interactive Learning Design
  • 3D Visualization
  • Meta-Game Design
  • Behavioral Design
  • Gamification Strategy

Team & Talent Leadership

  • Global Team Management
  • Cross-functional Leadership
  • Coaching & Mentoring
  • Organizational Design
  • Talent Development
  • High-performance Culture Building
  • Remote & Distributed Teams
  • Post-merger Team Integration

With over two decades of experience driving product innovation across multiple industries, I combine strategic vision with deep expertise in emerging technologies. My approach integrates business acumen, design thinking, and technical leadership to deliver exceptional results, whether scaling startups, optimizing portfolios for PE-backed companies, or transforming established enterprises through AI and cloud solutions.

Professional Experience

Chaos
Chaos
Feb 2023 - Jan 2025
Chief Product Officer

Leading the transformation of visualization technology that empowered 400K+ creators while driving 24% ARR growth to €100M+. Managed and optimized portfolio of industry-leading products including V-Ray, Phoenix, Cosmos, Corona Renderer, Enscape 3D, Chaos Cloud and Cylindo.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Delivered 'Intelligent Visualization' strategy that unified product direction across 700+ person team post-acquisition
  • Established AI R&D team that launched two revenue-generating products creating potential for additional €20M+ in new revenue
  • Transformed product operations with quarterly review system achieving 95% on-time delivery
  • Established User Research function to drive customer-focused decisions increasing NPS scores across product portfolio
  • Developed strategies for tiered product offerings to address market competition and optimise pricing
SS&C Blue Prism
SS&C Blue Prism
2020 - 2023
VP Product Portfolio

Oversaw the entire product portfolio and led the product org. Strategized the lifecycle of products, ensuring they aligned with the company's broader vision and offered market value.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Expanded automation portfolio from $50M to $250M+ ARR, directly contributing to $1.6B acquisition
  • Commercialized four AI innovations generating $75M+ in additional annual revenue
  • Increased serviceable addressable market by >100x through strategic product development
  • Led and developed 40-person product team with industry-leading retention during rapid growth
  • Collaborated with engineering to transform legacy platform into cloud-native SaaS solution
  • Aligned product strategy with PE investment timeline, exceeding growth targets by 35%
PlayGen
PlayGen
2004-2020
Founder and Chief Product Officer

Built and managed the organization to deliver outstanding value through data, AI, simulations and gaming technologies, reaching over 2 million customers and users.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Grew company to £100M+ in joint ventures across fintech, health-tech, and edtech sectors
  • Conceived and launched 50+ products reaching 2M+ users with 120+ organizational partnerships
  • Led 200+ cross-functional team members across multiple local and offshore locations
  • Secured partnerships with HSBC, NHS, European Commission and Fortune 500 companies
  • Pioneered AI and simulation technologies for behavioral change and skill development
Digital Shoreditch
Digital Shoreditch
2010 - 2015
Founder

Founded and led a large annual festival celebrating the outstanding creative, technical and entrepreneurial talent of the UK.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Conceptualised and directed 100+ events with 2000+ speakers
  • Built audience of 40,000+ participants
  • Achieved £2m annual turnover from zero without external investment
  • Created and grew the brand from concept to major industry event
RMJM
RMJM
1999 - 2003
Visualisation and Digital Transformation Manager

At one of the largest architecture & design networks in the world, built and managed teams of visualisation and graphics designers delivering over 100 projects.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Led visualisation teams across multiple projects
  • Spearheaded modernisation of digital strategy
  • Managed IT infrastructure transformation
  • Delivered high-quality visualizations for major architectural projects

Education

Serious Games Institute

PhD in Gamification, Interdependence, Personality & Performance

Serious Games Institute
2012-2015

How can we increase team performance in online social creativity platforms? A randomised controlled experiment with 38,180 sessions to maximise the performance of teams through personalising UX to each individual using gamification and AI, and based on personality and interaction preferences. Demonstrated potential increase in performance by up to 300%

London School of Economics (LSE)

Artificial Intelligence Ethics

London School of Economics (LSE)
2022

Gained a much deep understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of ethics of AI, so that I can now adeptly diagnose the challenges and opportunities posed by AI in various domains. Armed with the tools to identify and evaluate inequalities of resources, opportunities, and power in the workplace arising from AI applications.

Open University

APM Software Development

Open University
2005 - 2006

Completed with merit. This was a nine month distant learning course for becoming an APM in software development. The course covered PRINCE2 Methodologies and Practice, Agile project management life-cycle, and Product management leadership and team development.

Sheffield University

Masters in Architecture

Sheffield University
1992 - 1998

I have a Masters in Architectures, as well as BA and Post Graduate diploma in Architecture from Sheffield University. My Master thesis was on Artificial Intelligence in the Built Environment.

Portfolio Highlights

Capture
Next Generation: Cloud-Native Intelligent Automation Platform
AI Agent-Powered Macroeconomic Simulation
DataPlay: Intuitive Big Data Analysis Platform
SUGAR API
_connectMe
Blue Prism
Digital Shoreditch Festival
StarQuest
Future Internet Competition
Dalton Nuclear Sim
AI Interview Trainer

Clients I've Worked With

Intel
Aviva
Amazon
Atos
Qualcomm
ABB
Johnson & Johnson
BBC
Bank of England
Cadbury
Commerzbank
Accenture
CBRE
Fiat
European Union
LSE
McKinsey
NHS
Ogilvy
Pearson
Sony
HSBC
Barclays
Lloyds
Toyota
Wells Fargo

I've had the privilege of working with some of the world's leading organisations, helping them innovate and create products that their users love. Each collaboration has contributed to my understanding of diverse industry needs and challenges.

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Get in Touch

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