FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Carnegie Foundry Appoints Edward Ovando as Chief Product Officer to Accelerate AI Innovation Across Portfolio Ventures
PITTSBURGH, PA — April 10, 2025 — Carnegie Foundry, a unique venture studio focused on autonomy, robotics, and AI-based solutions, today announced that technology executive Edward Ovando has joined the company as Chief Product Officer (CPO). In this new leadership role, Ovando will guide the strategic direction, development, and commercialization of Carnegie Foundry’s expanding SaaS (Software as a Service) and AI portfolio companies.
With over 25 years of experience at the forefront of product innovation and artificial intelligence, Ovando brings a rare blend of deep technical expertise and business acumen to the Carnegie Foundry leadership team. He has held key senior technology leadership roles at Amazon, Lockheed Martin, and L3Harris Technologies, and served as a technology executive at Innovative Solutions— spearheading the launch of AI-driven products, machine learning monetization programs, and complex technology transformations across defense, healthcare, federal, and commercial sectors.
“Ed is an exceptional technologist and product leader who has consistently delivered innovation and scale across some of the most complex industries,” said Robert J. Szczerba, Ph.D., CEO of Carnegie Foundry. “His proven ability to drive breakthrough product development, particularly in AI and software, will be invaluable as we grow and mature our portfolio companies. We’re thrilled to welcome him to the team.”
Ovando’s responsibilities at Carnegie Foundry will include overseeing product vision, market alignment, and go-to-market strategies for software-centric ventures rooted in advanced intellectual properties (IP) from the National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) at Carnegie Mellon University. He will also lead cross-functional teams in accelerating the development of AI-powered platforms with applications across autonomy, robotics, health & wellness, national security, and enterprise transformation.
“I’m incredibly excited to join Carnegie Foundry and contribute to a mission that combines world-class research, venture creation, and purposeful innovation,” said Ovando. “There’s no better place to work on the cutting edge of AI and autonomy than here—where academic brilliance meets real-world impact.”
Ovando holds a Master of Science in Computational Science from the State University of New York at Brockport and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Penn State University. He remains a recognized thought leader in AI product strategy and continues to drive the responsible and impactful integration of artificial intelligence into transformative business solutions.
About Carnegie Foundry
Carnegie Foundry is a unique Robotics and AI venture studio headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA. Launched in strategic partnership with Carnegie Mellon University’s National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC), Carnegie Foundry is purpose-built to capitalize on the explosive growth in autonomy, robotics, and AI by sourcing proven, advanced technologies developed through years of world-leading research and development, and transforming them into category-defining companies that deliver real-world impact across national security, industry, infrastructure, and healthcare. For more information, visit www.carnegiefoundry.com.