Ed Addison

Ed Addison is a serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and engineer with a passion for turning deep tech into real-world impact. Ed was a co-founder and is the Chairman of Cloud Pharmaceuticals. 

Today, Ed advises new ventures and frequently speaks on AI and AI in healthcare. He teaches AI, engineering, entrepreneurship, and management as Professor of the Practice at NC State University. Ed Addison is an interdisciplinary powerhouse where AI, biotech, finance, and bold ideas collide. He’s launched five AI companies—including multiple successful exits—raised over $50 million in funding, and led ventures ranging from early internet search engines to cutting-edge drug discovery platforms.

Ed is a member of the board of directors of the American Society for Artificial Intelligence, and he is an honoree on Constellation’s AI-150 list for 2025-2026.  At NC State, he teaches the course “AI for Engineering Managers.”  HE is a frequent public speaker on the impact of AI on society and in healthcare.

Ed Addison has two MS degrees in engineering (EE and BME) from Johns Hopkins, completed the coursework for a PhD in AI at MIT, and holds an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.  He also has a JD from Purdue University, but he has never practiced law.  His expertise is in entrepreneurship, startups, and AI, including healthcare and drug discovery applications, as well as agentic AI and the future of work.  Ed has started 5 AI product and service companies from 1990 to 2020, with three exits, and was named “Entrepreneur of the Year” twice by the Information Industry Association and the Coastal Entrepreneurial Council.

Ed lives in Raleigh, NC, with his wife Karen. Together, they have six grown children and 16 grandchildren. A competitive swimmer and Senior Games participant, Ed is also a jazz pianist, avid traveler, and a Baltimore Ravens fan.  He is a co-author of the novel “Probability of Doom”, a fictional account of AI agents and humanoids gone rogue in a future dystopian society (to be published in November 2025).