As deputy chief product officer at Dark Matter Technologies, Vikas Rao has been instrumental in redefining the company’s approach to product development, collaboration and customer engagement. Over the past year, Rao led the development and successful launch of the Dark Matter Developer Platform — an open API ecosystem that marks a strategic shift toward transparency and deeper integration with partners and clients. Introduced at the company’s 2025 user conference, the platform positions Dark Matter as a more agile and collaborative player in the lending technology space.
Rao’s influence spans the breadth of the product portfolio. He oversees Empower® LOS, AIVA® AI Virtual Assistants, point-of-sale portals and partner-facing tools — ensuring alignment between customer needs, innovation goals and delivery timelines. His leadership has guided key upgrades to workflow automation, expanded AIVA’s capabilities and introduced new features within Empower that directly address lender pain points.
Beyond product strategy, Rao has reshaped internal culture by championing customer-driven design. He established structured feedback loops and lender working groups to ensure product decisions are based on real-world use cases. His leadership promotes quick decision-making and a “one team” approach that breaks down silos across engineering, product and customer success teams.
Rao blends the agility of a startup operator with the operational discipline of a seasoned executive. His work has not only delivered impactful tools, but also laid the foundation for a more transparent and responsive product culture — helping position Dark Matter for long-term growth in an evolving market.
Name:
Vikas Rao
Title:
Deputy Chief Product Officer
Company Name:
Dark Matter Technologies
