Manwen Li

Innovation Strategist & Product Leader

"A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. " - but I like to create the way.

I specialize in turning ambitious ideas into reality, building products, teams, and operations from the ground up. Whether crafting a new value stream for a $5B+ global enterprise or launching innovative solutions in a fast-moving startup, I bring a proven ability to deliver transformative results in uncharted territory.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cert. Strategic Technology Roadmapping and Innovation Program, 2023

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

M.A. in Fiber Science and Apparel Design, 2015 - 2017

Tianjin Polytechnic University, China

B.Eng. in Apparel Design and Engineering, 2011-2015

Material Bank is a $2B unicorn pioneer in sampling logistics technology in the Architecture & Design industry.

Senior Director, Product Management

August 2023 – Present

Lead the development and execution of the strategic roadmap for Material Bank's core product, driving innovation, revenue growth, and user adoption. Managed cross-functional teams to deliver new digital offerings and enhanced user experiences while aligning with both demand (members) and supply (brand partners) to ensure market success.

Key Achievements

  • New Business/Revenue: Launched a new digital product from 0 to 1, generating net-new revenue and expanding market presence.

  • Go-To-Market: Developed and currently executing a multi-faceted Go-To-Market plan, including a freemium model.

  • User Experience Improvements: Enhanced registration flow based on user research, improving satisfaction.

  • Conversion: Redesigned the product quick view, driving a 14% increase in conversion (add to cart).

  • Product Expansion: Created unique category experiences for 36+ categories, with plans for continued expansion.

Senior Director, Digital Material Acquisition

January 2023 – August 2023

Director, Digital Material Acquisition

December 2021 - January 2023

As the head of material digitization, I built the Digital Materials Acquisition strategies, 20+ people team, and technology ecosystem from scratch. I built the business plans, initiated R&D projects, and implemented the initiative to be a viable pillar to support a new business formation and revenue stream for the company.

  • Identified, evaluated, and implemented technologies to achieve digitization of materials at scale.

  • Developed proprietary technologies and tools to achieve precise and advanced digitization.

  • Established high-performing rendering pipelines capable of handling thousands of daily renderings.

  • Spearheaded analytical approaches that reduced the cost by 50% compared to initial projection.

  • Sourced and recruited 20+ global talents, assembled a high-function team to meet business objectives.

Senior Manager, 3D Material Virtualization

September 2021 - December 2021

Manager, 3D Material Virtualization

September 2019 - September 2021

Led the Materials Virtualization Strategy, one of the four pillars of the Under Armour Digital Transformation initiative, which directly contributes to over $3M in annual savings through sample reduction. Established the vision, mission, and strategy; created a step-by-step roadmap, and recruited teammates to achieve milestones across apparel, footwear, and accessories.

  • Built and acquired technologies and created the 3D Virtual Materials workflow to drive the Digital Go-To-Market process.

  • Built UA's first virtual material library and technology platform to support Digital Product Creation at scale.

  • Integrated the workflow into the PLM system to seamlessly deliver the benefits of materials virtualization.

  • Created and filled new team roles, led the team to accelerate the roadmap timeline.

  • Proposed, planned, acquired and executed $600k total project budget along with the contracts and SLAs.

Co-Founder/Consulting Director

February - September 2019

Launched a consultancy firm in the U.S. and China, serving as a bridge among international brands, suppliers, technology providers, and institutions. The main focuses included brand activation and strategy, competitive market analysis, and strategic analysis for sustainability, sourcing, and market differentiation.

Featured Projects

  • Competitive Marketing Research and Pricing Strategy for 3D and Fit Recommendation Technology, Client: NetVirta.Inc

  • Evaluation and Implementation of Material ConneXion Platform, Client: Beijing Institute of Fashion and Technology

  • Sustainable Material Sourcing and Production Activation, Client: Freja New York

  • Design and Sustainable Materials Strategy, Client: Wearable Media

L.I.O (Leaders, Innovators, Opportunities) innovation program

Creative Strategist, Product Innovation and Technology

September 2017 - February 2019

L.I.O. was an innovation program funded by the North American executive team, aimed at creating an innovation culture and roadmap across the company. I spearheaded the creation of a new product innovation team from vision to formation, whose mission was to establish an innovative culture and practices at GBG USA.

  • Evaluated 100+ new suppliers and solution providers, and initiated the first internal functional and sustainable materials fair.

  • Led material technology scouting, with the first commercial adoption generating sales of 44K additional units within 4 months.

  • Supported $63M business proposals by providing in-depth research of material technology applications for two major brand partners.

  • Initiated and managed 3 product innovation projects that were patent pending.

  • Led internal Design Thinking workshops, including one that aided brand identity recreation of Kenneth Cole.

Functional Apparel Researcher

August 2015 - August 2017

Worked on multiple nationally funded projects (DOE, DOD, NIFA, etc.) and commercially funded projects involving research, evaluation, and design of performance and functional apparel products and interactive gear. Conducted anthropometric, biomechanics, and ergonomic analyses based on data generated from 120+ human subjects.

  • Estimation of Yarn-Level Simulation Models for Production Fabrics

    ACM SIGGRAPH Transactions on Graphics, February, 2022

  • Design and Evaluation of New Personal Floating Device for Rowers

    International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) Annual Conference, November 2019

  • Preliminary Investigation of Bikram Yoga Apparel for Improved Mobility and Comfort

    International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) Annual Conference, November 2017

  • Effects of active sitting chairs on short-duration computer task performance, postural risks, perceived pain, comfort and fatigue

    Annual Human Factors & Ergonomics Society Conference (HFES), October 2017

  • Effects of active versus static standing on short-duration computer task performance, postural risks, perceived pain, comfort and fatigue

    Annual Human Factors & Ergonomics Society Conference (HFES), October 2017