Jim Semick

Education

Degree: B.S. double major in Finance and Marketing, University of Idaho

UCSB Role

Lecturer, TM 149 Creating a Market-Tested Business Model. Guest lecturer and mentor New Venture Program

About Jim

Lecturer, Technology Management

With over 25 years of experience, Jim has been at the forefront of bringing disruptive software products from initial concept to successful market launch. He is a co-founder and board member at ProductPlan, a leading strategic software platform for product management. Before ProductPlan, Jim played a pivotal role as an early employee at AppFolio, where he helped validate and shape the company’s market entry. He also spearheaded the validation and defined product requirements for groundbreaking web-based software including GoToMyPC, GoToMeeting, and GoToWebinar.

Earlier in his career, Jim was a technology writer, publishing multiple titles with Microsoft Press. He holds a B.S. in Finance and Marketing from the University of Idaho. Jim is an active mentor and angel investor in the Santa Barbara tech startup community. He is a frequent speaker and writer on topics such as entrepreneurship, product management, market validation, and business models.