Adrian Ott

Adrian Ott is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and former senior-level tech executive with a proven track record for visionary business strategies that result in exponential revenue. She has led billion-dollar high technology organizations and assisted innovative ventures to identify and commercialize new product opportunity. Consulting Magazine called her “One of Silicon Valley’s most respected strategists.” As CEO and founder of a technology services business in 2001, Harvard Business School and NAWBO recognized her as one of the most inspiring leaders in Silicon Valley.

In addition to teaching technology venture classes at Carnegie Mellon's Silicon Valley campus, she serves on the National Faculty for the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps. As a National Adjunct, she assists cohorts of promising technology entrepreneurs to commercialize innovations they have developed at top U.S. universities. She has also served in fiduciary and advisory board roles at private for-profit corporations.

Adrian is the award-winning author of two business books that won Best Business Book of the year accolades. She has contributed thought-leading articles to Fast Company, Harvard Business Review and has been featured in national business television, radio, and publications such as Forbes on the latest trends.

Prior to founding her own company, she was an HP executive for 15 years serving in functions such as product management, new ventures, strategic alliances, marketing, and software development. She was recognized in an annual report for “infusing HP with new revenue streams, new technologies, and new business models.”

Areas of Expertise

• Commercializing technology
• Go-to-market strategy and business models
• Venture management/governance
• Strategic alliances

Companies

• Adjunct Professor Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley (2019)
• NSF I-Corps (Innovation Corps) National Faculty National Science Foundation (NSF) (2019)
• Business Author (2010) HarperCollins Publishers (2009)
• CEO & Founder Exponential Edge Inc. (2001)
• Board Member WITI (Women in Technology International) (2008 — 2019)
• Chair, Innovation and Strategy Roundtable Harvard Business School Association of Northern California (2006 — 2017)
• Head, HP Garage Program Business Unit; Product Management, Marketing & Strategic Alliances Executive Hewlett-Packard (1983 — 2001)
• Head, HP Garage Program Business Unit, Product Management, Marketing & Strategic Alliances Executive HP (1983 — 2001)
• Corporate Strategy AT&T (1986 — 1986)

Education

• MBA Harvard Business School
• BS University of California, Berkeley