Ed Scott is an experienced and successful business executive, a former Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Government, and an active supporter of a number of philanthropic initiatives.

Inside Philanthropy has called Ed called Silicon Valley’s most effective giver, citing his catalytic approach to philanthropy that has had a transformative impact on poverty and disease on a global scale. After a successful career in the United States government civil service culminating with a position as Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Administration, Ed left Washington, DC to work in the emerging field of computer technology. In 1995, he co-founded a software company called BEA Systems. BEA soon became one of the fastest companies ever to reach $1 billion in sales and Oracle purchased the company in 2008. At one time, BEA was the 12th largest software company in the world. Ed later became a primary funder behind StubHub, the highly-successful online ticketing service later purchased by eBay.

Having started his philanthropic work on a small scale, Ed soon turned his attention to how governments could help make an impact on development. Ed created the Center for Global Development to help carry out research towards formulating solutions for how government policies can help fight poverty and disease. He created Friends of the Global Fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria in order to help support and lobby for the funding of the Global Fund. Together with Bill Gates and George Soros he created DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) to provide a platform for Bono and other celebrities to advocate that the U.S. Government and public support development efforts. Meanwhile Ed has extended his philanthropy beyond global development to other realms, including founding the innovative Scott Center for Autism Treatment at the Florida Institute of Technology.