Local Innovator Hired as Penn State Great Valley’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence

By

Leo Daiuto

penn-state-great-valleyPenn State Great Valley has welcomed Leo Daiuto as its part-time entrepreneur-in-residence.

In addition to starting two technology-based businesses, Daiuto formed and grew a user experience-focused group at Unisys.

As the entrepreneur-in-residence, he will support the REV-UP Center for Entrepreneurship, and mentor and assist students interested in starting a business.

With a background in computer science, Daiuto started his career at Unisys as a summer intern. Over the course of 20 years, he worked his way up the ladder to ultimately build and direct the company’s Human Factors and Design Group.

Concentrating on user interface and the physical design, his team’s approach shed a new perspective on the company’s technology. He grew the group from an initial 11 Pennsylvania-based employees to 140 across the world.

“My experience there inspired me to create new things and build teams,” Daiuto said. “I hired a core group of people, some of whom I still work with today. If you construct the right team of people, they can thrive in a variety of industries and situations.”

In 2005, he turned one of his ideas into reality.

Daiuto and his brother, a Penn State graduate, founded Slamm, a creative agency providing digital solutions in application development, user experience, and branding. The company built a variety of platforms, including a home control platform that contributed to their acquisition by Evolve Controls.

After the merge, Daiuto continued his involvement to provide guidance on product development and overall strategy as the senior vice president of user experience and chief experience officer.

Embarking on another entrepreneurial endeavor, he and his brother started the West Chester-based Revolt Group in 2013. More technology-based than Slamm, the company builds and provides cloud-based solutions to other organizations. Daiuto sits on the group’s board today.

Daiuto heard about the entrepreneur-in-residence position from fellow entrepreneur and current board member Anthony Gold. Already familiar with both the Great Valley campus and the Penn State brand (in addition to his brother being a Penn State alumnus, his father served on Great Valley’s Advisory Board), Daiuto is eager to get started with REV-UP.

“I enjoy working with passionate people to help foster their ideas,” he said. “I love the concept of REV-UP. I’m excited to harness the power of the Penn State brand to create a hub of corporate sponsors, investors, students, alumni, and entrepreneurs in this community.”

In addition to his work with Penn State Great Valley, Daiuto actively consults with startups and established businesses to help them grow, hire effective teams, and build successful products.

Although the entrepreneur-in-residence position is part-time, he has already met with key stakeholders to discuss future initiatives for REV-UP, including the Lion Cage competition set for 2017.

“With Great Valley’s location in Malvern, we can provide a different appeal from the city,” Daiuto said. “The REV-UP Center for Entrepreneurship will offer something different, and I think we can help local entrepreneurs launch their ideas.”

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