FireThief is my playground and my dashboard. The ideas that I wake up with land here. My projects span from initial idea to a brand new company. Not all ideas make the complete journey. There have been some real stinkers that did not survive proof-of-concept. In addition, there were great ideas that someone killed with a few words of discouragement. Those bother me the most and I don’t let it happen anymore. I will fund an idea through proof-of-concept before killing it myself. Need guidance? Knowing when to ask for help is a skill that founders need to cultivate. I reserve time on Wednesday for networking and coaching. Anyone can get 15 minutes on my schedule if you follow my rules.
THINK • RESEARCH • PLAN • ITERATE
I believe no one can design a production-ready product before they’ve iterated. Initial plans never survive contact with reality. Read everything. Don’t follow someone else’s playbook. Don’t take startup advice from people who’ve never built one.
My Product Stages
- Idea
- Research
- Test project
- Proof of concept
- Alpha
- Beta
- MVP
- Version 2
- Production
- New company
The Firethief
Donato Diorio is a highly accomplished serial entrepreneur, a 6X founder, and CEO with a rich background in the tech industry. Currently at the helm of Flik, a software productivity framework, he is imagineering the concept of a 4-day workweek. Flik is designed to optimize productivity, saving users 15 seconds every minute and 15 minutes every hour, thereby recognizing the modern necessity for a more balanced work-life dynamic.
Firethief Studio is Donato’s product and company-building workshop, part lab, part operating system, where new ideas are pressure-tested through rapid prototyping, proof-of-concept validation, and real-world iteration. The Studio is where he documents what he’s learning in public, invests in experiments early, and helps founders replace guesswork with feedback loops. It’s also the home base for his coaching: practical guidance on product, positioning, and execution from someone who has repeatedly built from zero to scale.
Before embarking on the Flik journey, Donato founded and led data|z, a data think-tank committed to researching and developing data technologies and strategies. His entrepreneurial spirit drove him to found Broadlook Technologies, which subsequently merged with RingLead in 2015. Post-merger, Donato assumed the position of CEO. Concurrently, he founded AttorneyPeople.com, growing it into the largest and most precise SaaS database of Attorney Partners and Associates, before it was successfully acquired in 2017. His association with RingLead culminated in September 2021 when ZoomInfo, after going public and raising $887 million, acquired RingLead, testifying to the value of his technological contributions.
Widely recognized as an expert in data best practices, Donato has collaborated with numerous global corporations, including IBM, Citrix, Microsoft, GE, Oracle, and Cisco, further solidifying his influence in the tech industry.
His contributions to the tech industry have been duly recognized, earning him the Recruiting Technology Blog of the Year Award presented by ZoomInfo, the company that later acquired his intellectual property. He also won the Milwaukee area TKO award and the IQ award. His LinkedIn profile includes over 60 testimonials from a wide range of professionals, from the co-founder of the first billion-dollar software company to leaders of small enterprises and solo operators. A common sentiment among these testimonials is Donato’s consistent display of enthusiasm and excellence in every engagement.
Prior to his tech entrepreneurial journey, Donato founded Specialized Search, an IT and biotech recruiting firm. His successful recruitment and retention strategies laid a solid foundation that later powered the growth and success of his software companies.
When not leading tech revolutions, Donato has been a nationally ranked Masters swimmer with a passion for discussing Big Data, Machine Learning, AI, and the future of technology’s intersection with data. He lives in Wisconsin with his wife Christy, their four computer-literate children, and their Newfoundland dogs.
