Ron Schmelzer

Ron Schmelzer is the founder of Scalebrate, a platform that provides content, a community and tools to help "microteams" and solopreneurs scale their business through the use of AI, automation and IT systems. He also publishes the Exponential Scale newsletter and podcast. Ron previously was managing partner and founder of Cognilytica, an AI-focused research, advisory and education firm acquired by the Project Management Institute in 2024. He co-developed the firm's Cognitive Project Management for AI (CPMAI) methodology, which Fortune 1000 firms and government agencies worldwide use to manage their AI and advanced data projects.

CPMAI+E certified, Ron is a sought-after expert on AI project management. He serves as chair of a number of industry groups focused on AI adoption and best practices, and he helped launch the AI working group at ATARC, a collaborative forum on emerging technologies for thought leaders from government, industry and academia. Ron is also a regular Forbes contributor, a contributor to several TechTarget sites and an SXSW Innovation Awards judge.

Prior to founding Cognilytica, Ron founded and ran ZapThink, an industry analyst firm that focused on service-oriented architecture, cloud computing, web services, XML and enterprise architecture. He received a bachelor's degree in computer science and electrical engineering from MIT, where his undergraduate advisor was well-known AI researcher Rodney Brooks. Ron also received an MBA from Johns Hopkins University.