PRODUCT LEADERSHIP UNLOCKED

A weekly briefing
on the decisions that
actually move
the business.

By Elena Leonova · former CPO, advisor, coach.
Tuesday mornings, five minutes.

ELENLEONOVA.COM · WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

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APR 28 · 2026 · ROI & FUNDING · 4 MIN

Most ROI math is backwards. That's why your strategy doesn't sell.

By slide two, the room knows. CFOs don't fund features — they fund gaps closing on schedule. The case fails before you finish presenting it, and you don't realize why until you stop building it the way you've been taught.

Recent issues.

Jul 7, 2026

Your Roadmap Was Already Broken. AI Just Made It Obvious.

Execution just got cheap. The expensive mistake is now the one nobody reviews.

Jun 30, 2026

Adding AI to a Product People Already Pay For

Everyone's racing to build new AI products. The harder call is what to do with the one you already have.

Jun 23, 2026

Which Exit Are You Actually Building For?

In a PE-backed company, the cap table is already grading your roadmap — most product leaders never read it.

Jun 16, 2026

AI Is Not Your Strategy. It's the "Hottest Way" to Avoid Having an Actual Strategy.

The "AI strategy" your CFO already sees through.

Jun 9, 2026

Your Judgment Isn't Yours. It's Your Cap Table's.

Same decision, same conviction, opposite outcomes. The difference isn't talent.

Jun 2, 2026

Your Roadmap Is Being Judged on Criteria You've Never Seen.

Not your strategy. Not your execution. The number your CFO was already watching.

May 26, 2026

Your CFO Already Priced Your Roadmap

The number that decides your roadmap before you finish presenting it.

Apr 28, 2026

Most ROI Math Is Backwards. That's Why Your Strategy Doesn't Sell

Most product investment cases die before slide two — not because the bet is weak, but because the math runs backwards. Here's the ROI structure that actually gets funded.

About the Author

Elena Leonova.

Former Chief Product Officer with 15+ years across eBay, PayPal, BigCommerce and Spryker. Now an executive product strategy advisor and coach. Writing the book The Art of Platform Products (2026).

This newsletter is for sitting CPOs, VPs and senior PMs making strategic decisions under constraint. No tactics, no roundups — original essays anchored in business reality, written in the voice I use with the leaders I advise.

WORK WITH ME AT ELENLEONOVA.COM →

PRODUCT LEADERSHIP UNLOCKED

A weekly briefing
on the decisions that
actually move
the business.

Most ROI math is backwards. That's why your strategy doesn't sell.

Recent issues.

Your Roadmap Was Already Broken. AI Just Made It Obvious.

Adding AI to a Product People Already Pay For

Which Exit Are You Actually Building For?

AI Is Not Your Strategy. It's the "Hottest Way" to Avoid Having an Actual Strategy.

Your Judgment Isn't Yours. It's Your Cap Table's.

Your Roadmap Is Being Judged on Criteria You've Never Seen.

Your CFO Already Priced Your Roadmap

Most ROI Math Is Backwards. That's Why Your Strategy Doesn't Sell

Elena Leonova.

Quick Links

Subscription

Socials

PRODUCT LEADERSHIP UNLOCKED

A weekly briefingon the decisions thatactually movethe business.

Most ROI math is backwards. That's why your strategy doesn't sell.

Recent issues.

Your Roadmap Was Already Broken. AI Just Made It Obvious.

Adding AI to a Product People Already Pay For

Which Exit Are You Actually Building For?

AI Is Not Your Strategy. It's the "Hottest Way" to Avoid Having an Actual Strategy.

Your Judgment Isn't Yours. It's Your Cap Table's.

Your Roadmap Is Being Judged on Criteria You've Never Seen.

Your CFO Already Priced Your Roadmap

Most ROI Math Is Backwards. That's Why Your Strategy Doesn't Sell

Elena Leonova.

Quick Links

Subscription

Socials

A weekly briefing
on the decisions that
actually move
the business.