Season 2 Episode #24: Elena Coazzoli went from studying radiology in Italy to leading product for a 4-million-user sign language learning app with an integrated team of five covering product, engineering, design and data, with no separate departments

We get into why gamification and spaced repetition both failed when tested, what makes sign language fundamentally different to teach through an app, and the discovery that over half of Lingvano's learners can't find anyone to practice with. Elena also shares how AI is shifting what engineers actually focus on, and what working alongside deaf colleagues taught her about accessibility far beyond screens.

From radiology to React Native - how medicine, banking, COVID, and a mission-driven startup shaped a head of product

She studied radiology in Italy before switching to business informatics, then interned at one of Europe's biggest banking groups
COVID gave her the push to pick up coding again, and she joined a medical software startup as the very first engineer
Lingvano's mission combining language learning, accessibility, and social impact was the thing that drew her in
She went from frontend engineer to head of product in under a year - not planned, but a natural evolution as the company grew

4 million users, one small team, and everything is a prioritisation battle

With no separate product, design, or QA teams, technical health and product health are two sides of the same coin
The most important part of her role is deciding what to say no to, not what to work on
Gamification and spaced repetition both failed in testing - assumptions from other apps don't transfer to sign language learning
More than half of Lingvano's learners can't find native signers to practice with, which reshaped the entire product strategy

Sign language is visual, cultural, and different everywhere - and you can't just AI your way through it

The app is video-based with native deaf signers teaching, not avatars or AI-generated content
American and British Sign Language have completely different roots - every new market means a new language and community
AI is helping engineers move faster and ship prototypes, but it's shifting their role toward product taste and ownership
Code used to be the most expensive thing a company produced - that's changing, and what matters now is what gets shipped

Don't wait to be ready - bold pivots, giving back, and why every experience adds up

She never saw career changes as pivoting but as adding - every skill transfers, nothing gets left behind
Tool-itis and thinking in isolation instead of systems are the two most common traps she sees in new developers
Working with deaf colleagues changed how she thinks about accessibility beyond products - recruiting, education, and daily life
Her advice: don't chase the shiny title, surround yourself with people who know more than you, and just ask questions

Elena Coazzoli

Head of Product at Lingvano

Elena Coazzoli is Head of Product at Lingvano, where she owns everything from product strategy and roadmap to design, engineering, and experimentation for an app that makes learning sign language accessible to millions. Her career spans data management at one of Europe's largest banking groups, a first-engineer role at a medical software startup, and a rapid progression from frontend engineer to head of product at Lingvano in under a year. She speaks at conferences about design systems and accessibility, guest lectures at coding bootcamps, and is driven by building products that combine technology with genuine social impact.

Josh William Burmistre-Griffiths

Digital Marketing and Paid Ad Specialist

Josh William Burmistre-Griffiths works at TestDevLab, focusing on digital marketing and paid advertising across multiple platforms. His past experience working at agencies and unicorn startups in Latvia has equipped Josh with the expertise and a unique perspective that combines hands-on experience with a deep understanding of how technology shapes modern marketing practices. Helping him bring valuable digital marketing insight to the Tech Effect podcast.

#43 Elena Coazzoli (Lingvano): One Codebase, Three Platforms, 4 Million Users - With a Team of Five?

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