What Sets Award-Winning Products Apart: Insights from the Q2 Product Awards Advisory Board

What sets award-winning products apart today? In this roundtable hosted by Products That Count CEO Hoda Mehr, members of the Product Awards Advisory Board unpack the patterns and insights behind this year’s most compelling product nominations across industries, business models, and stages of growth. You’ll hear from product leaders who’ve reviewed hundreds of submissions as they highlight what today’s best products are getting right, from delivering measurable impact to adapting to user needs at scale. Whether you’re launching something new or leveling up an existing product, this is an essential conversation on what winning looks like in today’s market.

Join us for new conversations with leading product executives every week. Roll through the highlights of this week’s event below, then head on over to our Events page to see which product leaders will be joining us next week.

Show Notes:

1. Domain expertise is crucial for building successful products, especially in specialized industries like cybersecurity, fintech, and health tech.
2. Compliance is no longer just a checkbox but a key differentiator for companies in regulated industries.
3. Successful companies focus on solving specific, high-priority problems within their vertical.
4. The ability to embed deeply into customer workflows creates significant product stickiness.
5. AI is most effective when applied with deep domain knowledge, not just as a generic feature.
6. Scalability and market potential are critical criteria for evaluating product success.
7. Team strength and founding team expertise play a significant role in a product’s potential.
8. Regulatory compliance requires a “compliance-first” approach, not an afterthought.
9. Companies that make themselves core to a customer’s business model have greater staying power.
10. Verticalization allows products to solve nuanced problems more effectively.
11. The onboarding process for regulated industries can take 6-18 months, creating natural barriers to entry.
12. Multi-agent AI systems are emerging as a promising trend for specialized business functions.
13. Alternative data approaches (like Arrow’s credit scoring) can provide innovative solutions to traditional problems.
14. Successful products focus on enriching users’ lives and solving real problems.
15. Compliance can be a competitive advantage when approached creatively.
16. The ability to minimize friction while maintaining regulatory requirements is key.
17. Products that solve transformational, long-term problems stand out.
18. Exclusive partnerships and unique IP can create significant competitive advantages.
19. User experience remains critical, even in highly regulated industries.
20. Continuous innovation and deep understanding of customer workflows are essential for product success.