photo of G. Edward Powell, Jr.

Chief Executive Officer, TensorX, Inc.

B.S. AE 1985, Auburn University
M.S. ASE 1987, The University of Texas at Austin
Ph.D. ASE 1992, The University of Texas at Austin

Edward Powell is the CEO of TensorX and chairman of IPX. TensorX leverages the cloud, the crowd, and AI to optimize performance. Its customers include Amazon, GE and KBR, as well as NASA, AFRL and the U.S. Space Force. The essence of Tensor’s offering is to combine simulation with model-based AI to optimize decisions from system design to strategic planning to real-time deployment. IPX models the global patent system as a technology prediction market. IPX manages IP portfolios for leading universities and companies. 

Powell received his B.S. in aerospace engineering from Auburn University and his M.S. and Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.

Between August 1987 and July 1995, Powell held various positions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He began as a research scientist at Haystack Observatory, then became a member of the technical staff at Lincoln Laboratory where he served on the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) Surveillance team. He was a member of the Cassini Swing-by Review Panel where he led the navigation risk analysis. Powell also participated in the inaugural Planetary Defense Workshop and in the preliminary design of the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) program. He led several studies for the United States Air Force (USAF) Scientific Advisory Board from rearchitecting the U.S. Space Surveillance Network to assessing applications of AI to space systems. 

From 1995 to present, Powell has created enterprises leveraging model-based AI to optimize supply chains, services, intellectual property, insurance and healthcare. He has co-founded five companies and raised over $100M of venture financing. Highlights include saving 2,000,000 miles per month (40%) at Terminix, quantifying the financial, casualty and environmental costs of breaking-up Amazon, valuing every patent in the USPTO, and optimizing sensor tasking for the USSF National Space Defense Center. 

In 2000, Pointserve was named a top innovation of BMDO-developed technology. In 2021, CareGauge was named Fierce Healthcare innovative clinical product of the year.

Powell has served as a member of the Auburn University Research Council and the American Astronautical Society Technical Committee. He was general editor of Advances in the Astronautical Sciences (Vol. 93). He also received the Cassini Recognition Award

Powell was the founding chairman of City School in Austin, and he serves on the Board of Trustees of Montgomery Bell Academy and Cumberland University. 

He lives in Nashville, TN with his wife, Molly. They have four adult sons, and enjoy spending time with family, especially their three grandsons.