John Petote is an Angel Investor who has co-funded 45 startup companies and has provided business and/or IT consulting assistance to a number of these organizations. John’s private company investments include organizations from the high-technology, Internet marketing, biotechnology, healthcare, financial, and consumer goods sectors.
In 1986, John founded CIO Solutions Inc., located in Santa Barbara, California, and serves as the company’s CEO. CIO Solutions designs and implements customized information technology and voice communication solutions and also provides cloud-based IT management services.
John previously held various technical and sales-related positions in myriad industries. These positions included business development manager with ComDesign Inc., NASA space shuttle master console analyst with Grumman Industries, computer operations with Westinghouse Corp., and software developer with Three Rivers Bank. In 1979, he graduated with honors from the Institute of Computer Management in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
John has extensive experience on boards and commissions, including former board seats with Savings.com, CMC Communications (sold to Ixia Corp.), and WeTeachSports.com. Current directorships include the University of California-Santa Barbara, the Economic Forecast Project, the MIT Forum, and TeraMatrix Media Inc. John is also a member of the Santa Barbara Rotary Club and an active contributor to various charitable foundations.