SW Engineering · Product Marketing · AI Infrastructure

I build things
and tell their stories

Bridging engineering and product strategy. I code, I architect, and I take products to market. AI tools accelerate the build — the product thinking is still hands-on.

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About

build meets ship

Rick Allen

I've spent two decades in roles that don't usually overlap — someone who can follow the engineering, understand what's actually being built, and translate that into messaging and strategy that lands. At startups that meant wearing every hat. At larger companies it meant bridging the gap between teams.

I code, I architect, and I use AI tools to move faster. The product decisions, the tradeoffs, the positioning — that's still where the work is.

Currently working on AI memory elasticity at Phison. Previously at NVIDIA, Lambda Labs, Corsair, and ASUS. Hack Reactor for the engineering foundation.

20+
Years
10+
Companies
2
Skill Sets
Projects

What I've built

The problem · the tool · the product
AI Resource Estimator
AIInfrastructureWIP
↗

AI Resource Estimator

A VRAM and performance calculator for LLM inference pipelines. Not a toy — it models KV cache scaling, multi-GPU topology, CPU offload penalties, quantization tradeoffs, and multi-stage pipeline orchestration (RAG, vision, agentic workflows). Built because I needed to understand memory pressure before I could demo it. Live on Vercel, roadmap in the repo.

TypeScriptReactViteVRAM ModelingKV Cache
ShadowForge
AIRPGConsumer
↗

ShadowForge

Converts D&D 5e adventures into Shadowdark RPG format using OpenAI. Real users, real use case — the tabletop RPG community needed this and nobody had built it. Token-aware chunking, markdown output, client-side token tracking. The project where I closed the full loop: identified the gap, scoped the product, built it, shipped it, people use it.

Next.jsTypeScriptTailwind v4OpenAILLM
Tech Stack

AI Systems

Inference runtime orchestration and RAG architectures.

Ollama
OpenAI API
Llama 3.1 / LLaVA
ChromaDB
RAG Pipelines

Frontend

Modern, component-driven interfaces alongside complex state.

React
Next.js
TypeScript
Vite
Tailwind CSS
Framer Motion

Backend

High-performance API design and real-time streaming.

Python
FastAPI
Node.js
Express
WebSocket

Data & Infrastructure

Containerized deployment, persistent state, and telemetry.

Docker
AWS
PostgreSQL
MongoDB
Prisma
System Telemetry
Experience
Dec 2025 — Present

Senior Product Marketing Manager

Leading messaging and go-to-market strategy for the aiDAPTIV AI memory elasticity platform. Working cross-functionally with technical marketing, engineering, and partner teams to improve demo narratives, benchmark interpretation, and proof-point clarity, ensuring external messaging aligns with actual product behavior and market expectations.

Phison Technologies
Jan 2024 — Jan 2025

GTM & Product Advisor (advisory engagement)

Advised on product definition and go-to-market strategy for an early generative AI marketing MVP. Worked with founders, ML, and engineering teams to clarify target use cases, define product requirements, and shape LLM-powered workflow concepts. Contributed messaging and positioning guidance for AI-assisted campaign planning and automation ahead of a planned launch.

Solver AI
Jun 2021 — Jun 2022

Director of Marketing, AI Infrastructure

Led go-to-market and demand generation for GPU cloud services and AI infrastructure, managing a $3M annual marketing budget. Mentored the PMM leading the Tensorbook laptop launch, and drove its PR and influencer programs. Established technical influencer partnerships to build awareness and credibility with developers, researchers, and AI practitioners.

Lambda Labs
Jan 2021 — Jul 2021

Mobile Software Engineer, iOS/Android

Worked as a mobile software engineer on a cross-platform iOS and Android application using Flutter and Firebase. Collaborated closely with product and design in an early-stage startup environment to build and stabilize features through beta testing on TestFlight.

Revery Labs
Jan 2018 — Dec 2019

Head of Product Marketing, HALO Autonomous Vehicle SDK

Led product marketing for the HALO autonomous vehicle SDK, supporting OEM pilot programs with API documentation and runtime tooling. Defined technical messaging and platform positioning for enterprise automotive customers, working closely with engineering and business development teams.

Tensyr
Dec 2015 — Jan 2018

Product and Marketing Strategy Consultant

Provided product marketing and go-to-market consulting for hardware and technology companies. Developed competitive positioning frameworks, messaging architectures, and launch strategies. Generated substantial earned media coverage through PR and influencer outreach, supporting product introductions across multiple hardware categories.

Independent Consulting
2012 — 2015

Director of Marketing, PR, Influencer Marketing, and Demand Generation

Led marketing, PR, and creator programs for PC gaming hardware, with 5 direct reports and 9 regional coordinators. Moved review samples to YouTube creators such as Linus Tech Tips, growing per-video views from 50K to 600K+, and ran a review program that won 547 awards in 2013.

Corsair
1994 — 2008

Leadership — GPU, PC Hardware & Semiconductors

NVIDIA

Product PR and partner marketing for notebook GPUs and HD video. Created a partner program adopted by Dell, HP, Toshiba, Sony, and Gateway.

ASUS

Led North American marketing and channel partner programs for PC hardware, including co-funded campaigns with Intel, NVIDIA, and AMD.

TRIDENT MICROSYSTEMS

Led marketing for Trident's first 3D graphics processors, and product teams delivering over $50M of products a year.

S3, INC.

Managed the $25M ViRGE/GX2 graphics chip program through a yield crisis, and led AGP validation with Intel.

Legacy

My background is diverse: product marketing, solutions marketing, PR and communications, events, BD, and software engineering, across semiconductors, PC hardware, consumer electronics, and AI infrastructure. For the full picture, see the long resume.

Long resume →
Contact

Let's talk

Happy to talk about AI infrastructure, product marketing strategy, AI/web development, or anything at the intersection of the two. Or you want to debate whether you are likely to be eaten by a grue in dark mode. Either way, I'm in.