Open to product, data & AI roles
Product · Data · AI · Fintech Portfolio 2026
I build at the intersection of product, data & emerging technology.

Product strategist and technologist working across AI, data, financial infrastructure, and human behavior.

With more than 10 years in digital media, Web3, and marketing, plus formal training in data science and machine learning, I combine analytical thinking, curiosity, product strategy, and creativity to make complex ideas accessible to everyday people.

Melissa Henderson in a cream blazer dress, walking along a city street
Fig. 00 — Melissa Henderson
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Selected Work

08 Projects
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About Melissa

Product-minded technologist

I bring products to life and build their fan bases, working with developers and consumers across tech, fashion, beauty, and entertainment, and I measure what drives their behavior with data and revenue-focused metrics.

I have a B.A. in Political Communications from The George Washington University and have spent years helping build the foundations of mainstream and independent digital media. As a writer and editor, I managed content teams at AOL.com, The Huffington Post, and Gawker Media. On the brand marketing side, I led deal flow for advertising campaigns, expanded reach through content creation, and advised founders on go-to-market strategy.

As a product strategist, writer, and technologist, my mission is to capture the spirit and personality of culture through emerging technology. I believe this work can change how people build, work, and make decisions for the better.

Over the last several years, that curiosity has led me to venture-backed startups in AI, fintech, and blockchain. I’ve built two blockchain products and worked alongside dozens of developers and technical communities, including women-led DAOs and NFT projects such as Rug Radio, World of Women, and The Clinic NFT. That work has spanned everything from decentralized infrastructure and open payments to AI and human-generated training data.

I’m currently completing a 10-month Data Science & Machine Learning certification, where I’m developing a stronger foundation in Python, SQL, statistics, machine learning, and data analysis. The program sparked my current research using regression models to study model behavior.

  • FocusProduct · Data · AI
  • BackgroundMedia · Marketing · Web3
  • EducationB.A., The George Washington University
  • TrainingData Science & ML
  • Experience10+ years
  • Interested inPM · AI · Data infra · Fintech
  • Emailmelissa@melwrites.com
The path so far
  1. Media
  2. Marketing
  3. Web3
  4. Products
  5. Payments
  6. AI
  7. Human data
  8. ML
  9. Analytics
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Areas of Focus

06 Areas
A.

Product Strategy

Product discovery · Roadmaps · GTM · User research · Product storytelling

B.

Data & Analytics

Python · SQL · Statistics · Regression · Data visualization · Machine learning

C.

AI & Emerging Technology

AI systems · Human feedback · Training data · Model evaluation · AI safety

D.

Financial Infrastructure

Open payments · Digital assets · Blockchain · Fintech · Programmable money

E.

Technical Communication

Research translation · Technical writing · Executive thought leadership · Developer audiences

F.

Building & Experimentation

0→1 products · Prototyping · Technical communities · Growth experiments

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What I’m Thinking About

Open questions
  1. Are startups becoming the new banks?

    What happens when financial infrastructure becomes software?

  2. Who gets paid when human expertise becomes training data?

    The economics and ethics of turning human knowledge into AI infrastructure.

  3. Can creators become better AI contributors?

    What happens when domain expertise — not just technical expertise — becomes part of the AI development pipeline?

    Testing it now: Project Athena

  4. What can regression actually tell us about human behavior?

    My data science training left me fascinated by what regression models can reveal.

More in writing Substack
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Résumé

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