# People — the human intelligence behind the AI.

> The Catalyst·Wayfare team, led by Founder and CEO Dr. R. David Edelman. Backgrounds
> spanning MIT, the White House, McKinsey, and some of the most recognized names in tech
> and AI.

Canonical page: https://www.catalystwayfare.ai/people

## Where our team has been.

Our work has taken us from the cutting edge of AI research to the leading hubs of business
strategy, the world's largest workforces, and the very forefront of applied AI.

## Leadership

### R. David Edelman, Ph.D. — Founder and CEO

For two decades, R. David Edelman has helped leaders understand, adopt, and govern frontier
technologies at moments of major change. Three U.S. Presidents entrusted him to help navigate
emerging technology, national competitiveness, and security; over six years in the White
House, he became the youngest-ever Director in the National Security Council's sixty-year
history and co-authored the first-of-its-kind Presidential AI policy review.

David later spent six years teaching in MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and
Computer Science, with joint appointments at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence
Laboratory (CSAIL) and the Center for International Studies (CIS), where he remains a
research fellow. He is a judge for the Forbes AI 50, a frequent speaker on AI's business and
geopolitical impact, and his analysis has appeared in more than 100 U.S. and global
publications.

Before founding the firm, David held executive and board roles at high-growth public and
private technology companies working at the edge of AI, cybersecurity, clean energy, and deep
tech. He founded Catalyst·Wayfare AI to help ambitious founder-led and growth-stage companies
move beyond AI strategy decks toward integrated, high-value AI systems that empower people,
strengthen operations, and create durable competitive advantage in the real economy.

## Careers

Small teams. Deep expertise. High autonomy. Each person owns real work and real outcomes.

[See open roles](https://www.catalystwayfare.ai/careers) · talent@cwai.co

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