Joseph DiNucci

Joe DiNucci is a sales and marketing executive in Silicon Valley. He has worked with businesses ranging from startups with 2 people to companies with over 160,000. After 40 years in high technology, he is now an executive coach.
Work History
A bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University (1964) preceded a few years as a process engineer in a Pittsburgh steel mill, as well as selling process control gear to industrial plants along the Ohio Valley. After completing an MBA, Joe spent 17 years at Digital Equipment Corporation from 1972 to 1989, sold technologies ranging from PDP-8s to RISC-powered systems, managed 500 people, imported MIPS' RISC microprocessor, built the $2B workstation business, and left for MIPS when Digital stock was $175. As MIPS’ VP of Strategy Development, Joe engaged Bill Gates in the deal that got Microsoft to develop Portable OS/2 (better known as Windows NT) developed on the MIPS R4000 chip, and built MIPS’ systems business. When Silicon Graphics acquired MIPS in 1992 SGI’s CEO made Joe an offer to become VP of Automotive and Aerospace Industries. In 1995 Joe became SGI’s VP Marketing, and recruited Bob Lutz who was president of Chrysler, then vice chairman of GM, onto SGI’s board.
Pre-bubble
In 1997 Joe was recruited to be president of CAD.Lab, an MCAD company based in Bologna Italy. In 1998, as VP Business Development for E.piphany, the first CRM company, he recruited the initial sales force and earliest customers including Autodesk and FedEx. During and after the dot-com bubble, Joe worked in executive positions at several startups and speedups, like Asymetrix, Click2Learn, DTAKT Systems, Sextant Technologies, Sensei Partners LLC, and Immersion Corporation. Joe has served on the boards of two public companies and currently serves as a board member for one VC-funded pre-public firm, Coulomb Technologies Inc.
Coaching
Joe started his professional coaching practice “Surviving Success” in early 2007, primarily to serve the people who build and run Silicon Valley and Bay Area firms. In 2007, 2008 and 2009 Joe was part of the “Silicon Valley Comes to Oxford” entourage that works with the MBA students at the Said Business School. He assisted in the creation of “Oxford Comes to Silicon Valley” in 2009, bringing 12 Oxford MBA students to meet with Linkedin, Twitter, Second Life and others. Also in 2010, Joe traveled to Ghana as a guest lecturer at the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology.
Recent Startups
In October 2007 he helped launch a green technology company, Coulomb Technologies Inc. which is building a smart network of public charging stations for plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles. Joe joined Coulomb when there were four people, as their first external director. The firm now employs more than 70, has secured VC funding and is shipping products to customers worldwide.
In November 2009, Joe became an advisor to Azipan, a new company that deals with the new reality for business and professional thought leaders: publish or perish, via books, blogs, and social media. As he did at Coulomb, Joe coached the founders through the Sell-Design-Build process, which underpins Steve Blank’s teachings on customer development.
Education
He holds a BSME from Carnegie Mellon University, and an MBA from Duquesne University, both in Pittsburgh. In 2006 Joe was certified as an Integral Coach at New Ventures West, an International Coaching Federation-accredited school in San Francisco. He has been written about in four books, including Michael Malone's business bestseller Going Public in 1990, and Malcolm Kushner's The Light Touch, and Presentation Skills for Dummies in 1996. He has lectured and learned at Stanford, MIT, Santa Clara and Oxford.
Personal
Married since 1964, he has two children and two grandchildren.

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