Derrick Steele

Evaluator
DISC Type : dsc

Director of Engineering at SoundHound AI

San Antonio, Texas Metropolitan Area, United States

Overview

Derrick is the Director of Engineering at SoundHound AI, bringing over 15 years of experience in AI solutions, technical project delivery, and process automation. A graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaigns MBA program, he is recognized by colleagues for being passionate, tenacious, and knowledgeable. He thrives on leveraging new technologies to innovate and drive results.

Outside of his technical career, Derrick is a self-described "nerd" with a keen interest in data, finance, and space exploration, particularly following NASA and JPL. He is a public speaker and maintains a personal blog dedicated to virtual reality, showcasing his passion for emerging technologies beyond his primary professional scope.

Unique fact: Derrick curates his own personal wiki covering a wide range of topics including development, AI, product management, and the books he is reading.

Personality Overview

Quality Focused

Hard To Convince

Fast But Analytical

They have a unique set of diverse traits where they are decisive and methodical but can sometimes be extra cautious and skeptical  They are not very likely to become strong advocates of your product or service They focus on the results, but can still be quite procedural and analytical about how to get there

Topics They Care About

Conversational AI
He has extensive experience designing and building conversational AI solutions, including custom machine learning models and API integrations, for major clients.
Engineering Leadership
In his roles, he has focused on building and leading engineering teams, standardizing documentation, and implementing processes that increased team efficiency.
Process Automation
He has a proven track record of using automation to drive significant efficiency gains, such as reducing a multi-hour manual testing process to just 10 minutes.

Media Appearances

Derrick has no verified media appearances

Work History

12-2024
Director of Engineering at SoundHound AI
4-2024
Director of Engineering at Amelia
1-2019 - 4-2024
Senior Solutions Architect at Amelia
2-2018 - 1-2019
Solutions Engineering Team Lead at Amelia
9-2016 - 12-2016
Senior QA Engineer at Welcome (formerly ChatID)

Education

8-2025 - 3-2028
Master of Business Administration - MBA from Gies College of Business - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Bachelor of Science - BS from Oregon State University

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 11 Location : San Antonio, Texas Metropolitan Area, United States Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Director of Engineering at SoundHound AI
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Insights For Selling To Derrick

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Help them see both - the ‘big picture’ impact and the ROI of the investment
  • Use phrases like ‘the ROI of this’, ‘X% more’ etc.
  • Keep a professional, business-like approach; especially if you tend to get informal quickly

DONT's

  • Avoid self-deprecating references or general informality, it could decrease their trust in you
  • Avoid making strong statements, instead invite them to agree with you by asking them questions
  • Don’t focus on relationship, focus purely on the merit of your product

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Derrick is

  • ROI matters the most to them, followed by process and finally proof of results
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Derrick

  • They might hesitate a little, but will go ahead and say no when necessary (or asked)

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Derrick move?

  • They are unlikely to move very fast, especially when it comes to new products or services
  • Can Derrick take some risk or not?

  • They have relatively low risk-appetite and are not very likely to go for something unproven and risky

You And Derrick

Personality Compatibility


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