Derek Z. H. Yan

Critic
DISC Type : C

Director of Engineering at Pixieset

San Jose, California, United States

Overview

Derek is the Director of Engineering at Pixieset and the Founder/former CTO of Polarr, which was acquired by Pixieset. He is an applied AI builder with deep expertise in edge inference and creative tools, having scaled Polarr to millions of users. He holds a Masters degree from Stanford University.

Dereks professional focus lies in driving AI-powered, agentic workflows for photographers. He is experienced in fundraising, scaling technical teams, SaaS licensing, strategic partnerships, and M&A, including leading the post-acquisition integration of Polarrs technology into Pixieset.

His companys AI technology has been shipped on hundreds of millions of devices through partnerships with major companies like Samsung, LG, and Lenovo.

Personality Overview

ROI Driven

Precise

Negotiator

They like to do things independently and don’t look for support from others.  They choose to analyze logically and value facts to emotions. Unless the value is proven by data, they are unlikely to value fancy features.

Topics They Care About

On-device AI
A core area of his expertise. He led the development and integration of Polarr's on-device AI engine, shipping features to over 100 million devices.
AI for Creators
His work at both Polarr and Pixieset centers on empowering creators with AI-powered photo and video editing tools and agentic workflows.
M&A Integration
Currently leading the post-acquisition integration of Polarr's technology into the Pixieset platform, a key responsibility in his current role.

Media Appearances

Derek has no verified media appearances

Work History

5-2025
Director of Engineering at Pixieset
4-2015 - 4-2025
CTO, Cofounder & Board of Directors at Polarr
11-2014 - 6-2015
Graduate Researcher at Stanford University
9-2014 - 12-2014
Graduate Teaching Assistant at Stanford University
6-2012 - 9-2014
Advanced Design Engineer at Altera

Education

Master's degree from Stanford University
Bachelor's degree from University of Waterloo

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 13 Location : San Jose, California, United States Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Director of Engineering at Pixieset
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Insights For Selling To Derek Z. H.

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Use phrases like ‘expect X% improvement’, ‘data clearly shows’ etc.
  • Keep some extra margin while sharing pricing, they are likely to negotiate later
  • Leverage facts and figures wherever possible; use percentages, numbers etc.

DONT's

  • Avoid pushing them too much to involve other stakeholders unless it is critical
  • Don’t try too hard to build a relationship with them
  • Make extra effort to not seem pushy or confrontational

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Derek Z. H. is

  • Proven ROI, pricing and objective proof points are the factors that sway their decision.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Derek Z. H.

  • They are comfortable saying no if they are convinced that it is the correct decision.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Derek Z. H. move?

  • Their decision-making is neither very fast nor very slow, they are somewhere in between.
  • Can Derek Z. H. take some risk or not?

  • They can take risks if their analysis shows that it would be worth it.

You And Derek Z. H.

Personality Compatibility


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