Jun 10, 2022
If Pittsburgh’s tech industry had its own Pantheon or Hall of Fame honoring the people who worked tirelessly to make it what it is today, Rich Lunak, President and CEO of Innovation Works (IW), would have a prime seat with all of the trimmings.
As a technologist, entrepreneur, business leader and investor, Lunak has been at every side of the technology company creation/innovation table over the last 30 years. In short, he’s a legend around here.
Prior to joining Innovation Works, Lunak was a successful technology entrepreneur/inventor who built Automated Healthcare, one of Pittsburgh’s most successful and enduring technology startups. He helped lead it from a three-person startup to an acquisition by McKesson Corporation where he became the architect of several disruptive growth strategies that helped McKesson launch businesses that became market leaders in multiple segments.
At the helm of IW, one of the nation’s most active early-stage investors, Lunak synthesized his decades of experience to lead the organization’s efforts to provide business expertise, seed capital and other resources to high-potential, technology start-up companies in Pittsburgh.
Lunak announced his retirement from IW this spring, easily punching his ticket to the mythical Pittsburgh Tech Pantheon/Hall of Fame. The Pittsburgh Technology Council, TEQ Magazine and I can’t just let Lunak ride off into the sunset toward those imaginary shiny marbled halls without some sort of an exit interview!
The TEch Council and TEQ's Jonathan Kersting had to ask Lunak a few questions. Pick his brain on where our tech industry is heading. We had to know what he’s proud of and if he has any advice for his yet-to-be-named successor.