Andrew Powell

Andrew Powell is the co-founder and CEO of Ethos, an AI-powered human readiness platform based in Redwood City, California. Powell began his career focused on transforming education, which led him to Coursera. This interest in learning innovation later intersected with national security, prompting Powell and co-founder Sasha Seymore to launch Ethos from a shared commitment to address readiness challenges. Seymore's experience as a Naval Reserve Intelligence Officer provided key insights into the needs of defense and security organizations.

Powell credits Stanford's Hacking for Defense program as instrumental in the founding of Ethos, having participated as an alumnus. He has noted that he had no prior experience in the military or Department of Defense before entering the defense technology sector.

Under Powell's leadership, Ethos has established itself at the intersection of technology, defense, and human performance. The platform integrates learning, performance, and outcomes into a unified system, providing modernized training, real-time readiness dashboards, and AI-driven personalization for enterprise-scale deployment across commercial and classified networks. Ethos addresses the challenge of rapidly advancing technological systems outpacing human training systems, which can create readiness gaps. The company serves partners including the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, Novartis, AbbVie, and sports organizations such as the Seattle Seahawks and University of Michigan football team.

Powell is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and holds an MBA from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. He has been featured in Inc. Magazine as part of defense technology's new guard and has spoken publicly about preparing individuals for high-stakes situations, the military's focus on training, and the impact of AI on combat readiness. Powell has also participated in the SHRM AI+HI Project, discussing personalized employee experiences and workforce development. In addition to his role at Ethos, Powell serves as an advisory board member for the Morehead-Cain Foundation and Montgomery Bell Academy. He is recognized as a leading voice in defense technology, AI, and human readiness.