### Runa Product Event: Beyond the Hype

Earlier this month, we turned our London HQ into something more than just an office; it became a space for real product talk. No buzzwords. No fluff. Just sharp insights and honest conversation at our first-ever Runa Product Event.

After July’s tech-forward gathering, this time we invited the product community in for a fresh kind of exchange. The theme, **Beyond the Hype**: What really matters in B2B Fintech product development.

It wasn’t about chasing trends. It was about building what lasts: designing responsibly, leading with empathy, and delivering value that sticks. And the response? Electric. A packed room, thoughtful questions, and conversations that kept going long after the last talk.

Here’s what stood out.

### The Talks

#### Foodtech → Fintech: What’s Different vs What Stays the Same  
**Meghna Vadapalli, Senior Product Manager @ Runa**  
Meghna opened the night by charting her path from food delivery to digital payouts. Turns out, navigating a three-sided ecosystem and building API-first products crosses industry lines, bringing crucial learnings with it.

Her take? Domain changes can stretch you, but the fundamentals of product thinking stay strong.

**Key takeaway:** Switching industries isn’t starting over. It’s building on what works and being brave enough to adapt what doesn’t.

#### Designing for B2B vs B2C: Providing Value Without Dark Patterns  
**Antoniya Kuneva, Senior Product Designer @ Runa**  
Next, Antoniya zoomed in on the ethical edges of design, especially the divide between B2C tricks and B2B trust.

In a world where clarity builds loyalty, she unpacked why dark patterns don’t belong in our toolkit and how Runa prioritizes partnership over quick wins.

**Key takeaway:** B2B users aren’t just end-points. They’re decision-makers. Partners. Respect goes further than any pop-up ever could.

#### Don’t Leave Empathy Behind: Bridging Strategy and Real Use Cases  
**Lina Kandinova, Lead Product Manager @ Runa**  
Lina closed the evening with a grounded reminder: Empathy isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a product imperative.

Through lived examples from Runa, she showed how understanding real constraints leads to sharper strategy, faster pivots, and fewer product misfires.

**Key takeaway:** In high-stakes ecosystems, empathy is your edge.

### Q&A, Pizza and the Good Stuff

Our audience didn’t hold back, bringing thoughtful, sharp questions that sparked lively back-and-forths on trade-offs, roadmap bets, and what it _actually_ takes to ship.

And yes, we ended with the classics: pizza, drinks, and the kind of conversations that stretch long past the agenda.

Big thanks to everyone who stayed late to swap stories and make this first event what it was.

### What’s Next?

We’re just getting started. Runa was built on open conversations about what’s working, what’s shifting, and what needs a rethink in digital payouts and B2B product development.

This won’t be our last event. Not even close.

Got a topic you’re itching to unpack? A challenge you want on the table? Drop it in the comments.

And if you’re curious about what’s next, [follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/runapayouts). Can’t wait to see you at our next event!