Dave Copps

Dave Copps is a Dallas-based entrepreneur, futurist, and technologist recognized for his work in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Copps has founded and launched multiple companies focused on the semantic web and has played a significant role in the development of semantic search technology, including the first real-time news service delivered via the web.

In the late 1990s, Copps founded Engenium Corp., which developed a semantic search engine capable of analyzing and connecting millions of documents simultaneously. As co-founder and CEO of Engenium Corporation, later acquired by Marsh McLennan, he led the adoption of the company's conceptual search platform by organizations such as the Pentagon, CIA, FBI, and the Defense Messaging System, as well as numerous companies worldwide.

After selling Engenium, Copps launched PureDiscovery, later renamed Brainspace, which developed machine-learning technology designed to read and learn from hundreds of millions of documents. Brainspace's software enables clients to search big data by concepts, grouping related items for more efficient eDiscovery and data analysis. The platform was adopted by Fortune Global 1000 companies and intelligence agencies for internal investigations and counterterrorism efforts. Clients included General Electric, Deloitte, KPMG, Pioneer Resources, and PwC. Brainspace attracted investment from In-Q-Tel, the venture capital arm of the Central Intelligence Agency, and was acquired by cybersecurity company Cyxtera Technologies as part of a $2.8 billion deal. Copps was named Emerging Company CEO of the Year in Texas during his tenure at Brainspace Corporation.

Following his departure from Brainspace, Copps co-founded Worlds, an industrial metaverse platform that creates real-time, 4D digital twins of physical environments. The Worlds Industrial Metaverse platform integrates AI-based automation into the operations of large industrial companies, combining IoT sensors, personnel, and processes within a live digital twin. Worlds has been adopted by major industrial companies, including Chevron, PETRONAS, and Hillwood Development Co. The company has raised $31 million in funding, and Copps was recognized as an Innovation Award winner for his contributions to North Texas innovation.

Copps has also spoken publicly about his personal resilience following brain surgery, an experience that has shaped his approach to leadership and entrepreneurship. He is known for addressing topics such as resilience, innovation, and the human side of building transformative technology companies.

Internationally recognized as a futurist and technologist, Copps is a frequent speaker and thought leader in emerging technologies and their market impact. He is an invited member of the Aspen Institute's Roundtable on AI, an Xprize Visioneer, an active member of Peter Diamandis' A360 community, a speaker at MIT's EmTech conferences, and serves on the U.S. Government's Council for Competitiveness, focusing on disruptive technologies. His achievements include E&Y's Entrepreneur of the Year for the Central Plains, finalist for Dallas Innovates Innovator of the Year, and Tech Titans Innovator of the Year. Copps has also participated in the George W. Bush Institute's Forum on Leadership, contributing to discussions on the co-evolution of humans and machines.