#335 - Built to Store: Gene Leyzarovich’s Tech Legacy

More than 34 years ago, Gene Leyzarovich arrived in Pittsburgh as a refugee from Moscow, Russia, determined to build a new life. Just two years later—while completing his education at the University of Pittsburgh and working night shifts at UPMC—he founded Advanced Computer & Network Corporation (AC&NC) to develop high-performance JetStor® storage systems. Since then, he has never looked back.

Under Gene's leadership, AC&NC, now JetStor, has been a leader in enterprise data storage for over 30 years, delivering cutting-edge RAID storage solutions to more than 4,000 clients across North America, LATAM, Europe, Asia, and Australia. JetStor systems power mission-critical applications for industry leaders such as Sony, Microsoft, Starbucks, CBS, Supervalu, and major cloud providers. In 2024, Gene secured a $1.5 million contract with a private cloud provider, supporting 90+ sites worldwide for a U.S. government customer—further solidifying JetStor's global reach and reputation.

JetStor technology also drives innovation in scientific research and government initiatives, supporting NASA, the Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health, the Naval Research Laboratory, NIST, and the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center. The company's solutions bolster the U.S. Department of State and enhance the capabilities of top-tier academic institutions, including Carnegie Mellon, Duke, Columbia, Yale, Rice, and Stanford. Additionally, in the United Kingdom, over 55% of police forces rely on JetStor appliances for secure and efficient forensic data management.

A recognized industry leader, Gene was a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2016) and was honored as Immigrant of the Year for Technological Innovation by Global Pittsburgh (2017). Under his leadership, JetStor has earned industry-wide recognition for its outstanding quality and customer support. CRN, the leading IT channel news source, named JetStor one of the 50 "Coolest" storage vendors in the U.S. for three consecutive years (2022-2024). In 2023, Gene was selected as a finalist for the "Tech 50" award by the Pittsburgh Technology Council, recognizing his contributions to technology and innovation.

Competing against multi-billion-dollar corporations, Gene has built JetStor into an agile, customer-focused company known for innovation, reliability, and technological leadership. His forward-thinking approach includes collaborating with technology partners during product development to keep JetStor at the forefront of next-generation data storage solutions.

Beyond business, Gene is deeply involved in industry and community engagement. He has been a sponsor of USENIX (the Advanced Computing Systems Association) for 15+ years, a founding sponsor of the League of Professional System Administrators, and an active member of the Pittsburgh Technology Council. Since 2022, he has split his time between Pittsburgh and Boca Raton, Florida, focusing on expanding partnerships and market growth.

In 2024, Gene joined the Cybersecurity Advisory Board for the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC), actively contributing industry insights and guidance to support CCAC's cybersecurity program. As part of this role, Gene visited the CIT-182 Principles of Cybersecurity class on November 14, 2024, delivering a guest lecture on storage security and its implications for cybersecurity.

Additionally, Gene has been a guest lecturer for three years at Penn State University's Smeal School of Business, contributing to the MGMT-457W Strategic Management of Innovation & Technology class, sharing his expertise on technology innovation and strategic leadership.