Profile

Joe Ryan

Joe Ryan is responsible for evaluating investment opportunities and supporting portfolio companies for Shasta Ventures.

Before joining Shasta Ventures, Joe managed the go-to-market strategy for VMware’s third largest product line, which he helped grow into a $60M+ business in less than two years.  In this role, Joe spent a considerable amount of time working with VMware's direct sales force, as well as with key strategic & reseller partners. Over 80% of the product's revenue was driven through the channel, so Joe has significant experience in building and managing a productive channel business.  He also has experience managing product launch cycles, developing and refining product messaging, and executing tactical programs to drive new product adoption.

Prior to VMware, Joe spent four years at IBM Research, in roles ranging from R&D to business development.  While part of the Storage Systems Management R&D team, he developed software prototypes to improve the management of storage area networks.  His work resulted in a software patent and significant improvements to one of IBM’s key storage products, for which Joe received a Research Division Award.  Later, he joined the Innovation Services team in a business development role, working with key customers to help them understand and manage opportunities for technical innovation in their lines of business.

Outside of work, Joe likes to spend time cycling, hiking, and rock climbing.

Areas of Special Interest Include:

• Cloud computing, storage, and virtualization
• Making sense of big data sets & real-time data
• Solutions and services that level the playing field for small & medium-sized businesses
• Disruptive products that simplify or remove requirements on IT infrastructure components and services 

Education:

• M.B.A., Stanford Graduate School of Business
• M.S. and B.S., Computer Science, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

Resources

• Joe's Twitter Stream