Swanson School honors Greg Coticchia as Distinguished Alumnus in Industrial Engineering
Above: Donald Taylor (center) with Interim Department Chair Lisa Maillart (left) and Interim U.S. Steel Dean Sanjeev Shroff
The University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering feted its 2023 class of Distinguished Alumni on Friday, March 3 at the University Club. Recognized among this year's honorees was Greg Coticchia BSIE ‘82 MBA ’86 as the Distinguished Alumnus in Industrial Engineering.
"Since his time at Pitt, Greg has become a self-described ‘serial entrepreneur,’ participating in 14 startups and founding four of them," said Lisa Maillart, Interim Department Chair. “From raising venture capital, overseeing mergers and acquisitions, and serving as CEO, President, and COO, Greg has built a successful career of product and company launches and transformations. “We are truly excited to honor Greg tonight as our Distinguished Alumnus in Industrial Engineering.”
“I’m honored to receive this Distinguished Alumni Award from the institution that provided such a rock-solid foundation for my business career,” Coticchia, chief executive officer of Sopheon, said. “It has been a privilege to remain involved with the Pitt community in various capacities through the years. I look forward to continuing to help train and mentor the business leaders of the future.”
About Greg Coticchia
Greg Coticchia is an award-winning entrepreneur, business leader, professor, and author with over thirty years of experience in tech products and services. He serves as the CEO and a Board Member of Sopheon (LON: SPE), a leader in enterprise innovation and product management software and services. Prior to Sopheon, he created and launched Carnegie Mellon University’s Master’s Program in Product Management (MSPM), the world’s first product management degree, serving as its founding executive director.
Earlier in his career, Coticchia was a serial entrepreneur, participating in 14 start-ups (founding four), and participating as an executive in various size organizations, from “$0M to over $1B” in revenue. He has raised over $73M in venture capital in his career and has actively participated in over seventeen mergers and acquisitions. He has served as CEO (four times), President and COO, and has been involved or responsible for the launch of over 100 products and solutions, and several companies. Coticchia has served on many boards, both profit and nonprofit.
A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh in Industrial Engineering, where he also received his MBA, he teaches several courses, including B2B marketing at the University of Pittsburgh Katz School of Business. He holds certificates in Entrepreneurial Management from Carnegie Mellon University and Professional Coaching from Duquesne University. Coticchia was named as a finalist three times for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and for the Tech 50 CEO of the Year. He was also named a 2006 Distinguished Graduate of the University of Pittsburgh (Katz). His book, “Start Your Startup Right” is available on Amazon.