The longtime Pittsburgh resident and businessman, known as "Dr. C," invented the technology for the digital teleconference call from which those apps were derived.
Following his death Wednesday at 88, Coraluppi is being remembered not only for his inventive mind and business acumen but also for his devotion to his family, his faith and to making the world a better place.
He led about 650 employees of Chorus Call, Compunetix and Compunetics from his Monroeville offices on Mosside Boulevard. Coraluppi lived in Point Breeze.
"On a personal and professional level, he has been a remarkable friend, adviser, advocate and investor in the tech community for his entire career here," said Audrey Russo, president and chief executive officer of the Pittsburgh Technology Council.
Coraluppi was one of the founders of PTC and was still active as a board member, Russo said.
"He provided guidance and advice. He was a coach to me and a mentor," she said. "He was soft-spoken, yet bold. He was wicked smart."
Coraluppi was born Feb. 20, 1934, in L'Aquila, Italy. He earned a Ph.D. in engineering from the Politecnico di Milano in 1958.
He came to the United States in 1964 with his wife, Luisa, and worked for American Optical Co., where he engineered a program that controlled the NASA-Lewis Flight Simulator and other space-related projects.
He completed a master's degree in electrical engineering from Carnegie Institute of Technology, now Carnegie Mellon University, in 1966. While studying there, he also became interested in the new intellectual and commercial opportunities posed by the advent of computer chips and, in 1968, founded the electronics manufacturing company Compunetics Inc.
From that business came Compunetix, which develops multimedia telecommunications systems for audio conferencing, videoconferencing and other applications for commercial and government markets, and Chorus Call, which provides teleconferencing and video conferencing hardware. The companies had offices throughout the world, including India, Switzerland, Italy, Brazil, Japan, Canada, Germany, South Africa and Australia.
Leaving a mark
Coraluppi first designed his teleconferencing technology — an algorithm supported by a computer chip — for NASA.
This algorithm allowed thousands of callers to join in on one telephone call, at the time a groundbreaking advancement in digital technology. The "Compunetics Switching Network" won Coraluppi and his company a multimillion-dollar contract with NASA, winning out over competitors including AT&T.
In 1984, he filed a patent application for the invention.
Compunetics also contracted with the Federal Aviation Administration to use the technology, which served as the basis for founding Compunetix. Clients using the commercial version of the conferencing technology include Verizon, First Energy, Subway and ESPN, along with the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Justice and State.
"He was doing Zoom before Zoom was Zoom. He got it," Russo said. "There wasn't any domain or sector that he didn't have a mark on."
Coraluppi's professional awards include the Pittsburgh Technology Council CEO of the Year Award in 2013 and induction into the Space Technology Hall of Fame in 2020. The Giorgio Coraluppi Headship in Electrical and Computer Engineering was established at Carnegie Mellon University in 2022.
" Giorgio Coraluppi was an incredible man whom I only got to know during the past year, but his impact on me will be lifelong," said Lawrence Pileggi, the Coraluppi Head and Tanoto Professor in the Department of Electrical and Chemical Engineering at CMU. "He was one of the brightest and (most) creative persons I have ever met.
"This endowment will support multidisciplinary research initiatives in ECE that will address emerging global and societal challenges for decades to come," Pileggi said.
In addition to Luisa, his wife of 59 years, Coraluppi is survived by his children, Sabina, Monica, Chiara (Daniel) and Stefano (Stefania); his grandchildren, Antonio (Rachel), Giulia (Dominic), Luisa, Giacomo, Daniela and Giovanni; and his sister, Luisa, and her six children.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Guido and Annamaria, and his siblings, Paolo, Carlamaria and Alberto.
"He kept his company growing and thriving and continuing to have a vision for growth. Even when I saw him a few months ago, he was still talking about innovations and solutions," Russo said. "He sorely will be missed.
"What a gift it was to have known that man."
Friends will be received from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at John A. Freyvogel Sons Inc., 4900 Centre Ave., Shadyside. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 a.m. Monday in St. Paul Cathedral, 108 N. Dithridge St., Oakland.
Entombment will be private. Gifts in lieu of flowers may be made to St. Paul Cathedral.
© 2022 Tribune-Review (Greensburg, Pa.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
