About

CEO. Speaker. Data Scientist. Dungeon Master.

I started college at 15, founded my first company at 22, and spent the next 30 years building things and talking about them in 50+ countries across all 7 continents. Wrote 15 books. Convinced Oracle to send a shy introvert around the world for 15 years. Now I run AI companies from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Edward Roske at an impossibly cluttered desk with books, a D20 dice, globe, laptop, podcast mic, and a Dallas Cowboys pennant

The Short Version

For people who read executive summaries first.

I'm Edward Roske. I run Dawnward (my investment firm), invest in and contribute to Caprus (AI for finance teams), and still hold a stake in Argano, the billion-dollar consulting firm I helped create when I merged my 25-year-old company, interRel, in 2020.

So what am I actually building? MCP servers that let AI models talk directly to enterprise financial systems (so your CFO can ask questions in English instead of writing calc scripts). I'm also co-chairing the Caribbean AI Summit, the largest AI conference Puerto Rico has ever seen. October 9-10, 2026. Puerto Rico Convention Center. You should come.

Master of Data Science from SMU (4.0 GPA, Outstanding Graduate... yes, I mention this a lot). BA from Shimer College, a Great Books school taught entirely by Socratic Method, which is where "Asking Good Questions" comes from as a philosophy. Started at 15. Full-time at Simon's Rock of Bard College at 16. Took a 20-year detour through entrepreneurship before finishing.

First person to score perfectly on the Essbase Certification exam. Oracle ACE Director for 15+ years. Fifteen books. The "Asking Good Questions" podcast. In 2025, I received ODTUG's Lifetime Achievement Award. Fewer than 5 people have ever been given it.

Also, I'm a Dungeon Master. I recently ran Keith Baker (the creator of the Eberron campaign setting) through a homebrew adventure. He said I was the best-prepared DM he'd ever seen in Eberron. (I peaked.)

Career Timeline

Thirty years of building things, condensed.

2026

Caribbean AI Summit

Co-chairing the largest AI conference Puerto Rico has ever seen. Puerto Rico Convention Center, October 9-10.

2025

ODTUG Lifetime Achievement

Received the award at Kscope25. Fewer than 5 people have ever received it. Announced as my final Kscope.

2023

Launched AI Ventures

Left Argano. Founded Roske.AI. Invested in Caprus. Started coding MCP servers.

2021

MS Data Science, SMU

Perfect 4.0 GPA. Outstanding Graduate. Decided to get serious about the 'science' in 'Data Science.'

2020

Merged interRel into Argano

After 25 years, merged interRel to help form Argano, now a billion-dollar global consulting firm. Served as CEO of ArganoInterRel, then Chief Performance Officer.

2018

Essbase Speaker of the Year

Kscope18. Also: first perfect score ever on the Essbase Certification exam.

2016

BA from Shimer College

Finally finished the degree I started at 15. (College Calculus and Computer Science at 15. Full-time at Simon's Rock of Bard College at 16. Took a 20-year detour through entrepreneurship before finishing.)

2008

First 'Look Smarter' Book

Started co-authoring the 'Look Smarter Than You Are' series. 15 books total. All before generative AI existed. (Brag.)

1997

Founded interRel Consulting

Age 22. Built it into the longest-standing Oracle Platinum EPM Partner worldwide. Five-time Oracle Partner of the Year.

1995

Started in Analytics

Senior Analytics Consultant at Technium/Pinnacle. Where the Essbase obsession began.

The Resume

For the people who need the details.

Current Roles

CEO Dawnward
2023 - Present

Edward's investment firm. Portfolio across AI, technology, and strategic ventures.

Investor & Contributor Caprus
2023 - Present

AI Software & Services firm helping finance teams leverage artificial intelligence for planning, analytics, and operations.

Co-founder & Stakeholder Argano
2020 - Present

Billion-dollar global consulting firm. Formed through the merger of interRel Consulting (which Edward founded in 1997 and led for 25 years) with several other firms.

Co-chair Caribbean AI Summit
2025 - Present

Co-chairing the Caribbean AI Summit (October 9-10, 2026, Puerto Rico Convention Center), the largest AI conference Puerto Rico has ever seen.

President Puerto Rico AI Community
2024 - Present

Leading the island's AI community. 850+ attendees across bimonthly events.

Education

Master of Science in Data Science SMU
2019 - 2021

Perfect 4.0 GPA. Outstanding Graduate Award. Focus on machine learning, statistical modeling, and applied data science.

Bachelor of Arts Shimer College
2016

Great Books curriculum. Started college part-time at 15 (Calculus, Computer Science). Full-time at Simon's Rock of Bard College at 16. Finished after a 20-year detour through entrepreneurship.

Expertise

AI & Machine Learning

MCP Servers, AI Agents, LLMs, NLP, Computer Vision, Deep Learning, Prompt Engineering

Enterprise Finance

Oracle EPM, Essbase, Planning, HFM, Financial Consolidation, Budgeting & Forecasting

Data Science

Python, R, SQL, Statistical Modeling, Machine Learning, Data Visualization, ETL

Leadership

Company Building, M&A, Strategic Planning, Public Speaking, Team Building, Board Governance

Awards & Recognition

2025
ODTUG Lifetime Achievement Award

Fewer than 5 recipients ever

2018
Essbase Speaker of the Year

Kscope18, voted by attendees

2008 - Present
Oracle ACE Director

Held for 15+ years. Oracle's highest community recognition

Multiple
Five-Time Oracle Partner of the Year

Through interRel Consulting

Historic
First Perfect Essbase Certification Score

First person to score perfectly on the exam

2011 - 2012
Kscope Conference Chair

ODTUG Board Member

1998
Two US Patents

#5836617, #5848810, custom postage stamp technology

Beyond the Resume

The parts that don't fit on LinkedIn.

World Traveler

80+ countries across all 7 continents (yes, including Antarctica). Hiked through Son Doong, the largest cave on Earth, in 2025. Trekked to Everest Base Camp in April 2026 (day-by-day dispatches and photos at that link). Vegetarian food options at altitude: questionable.

Dungeon Master

5th Edition. Eberron setting. I once ran Keith Baker (Eberron's creator) through a vertical chase through Sharn. My ruling: I'll allow it. He loved falling. I loved being validated.

Film Producer

IMDB credit as Producer. Credits include BattleBots and How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town. (One of these is a better conversation starter than the other.)

Patent Holder

Two US Patents for custom postage stamps (#5836617, #5848810). Before email killed the postal service. (You're welcome, stamp collectors.)

Vegetarian

For decades. Dawn (my wife) eats everything, which makes restaurant selection easier than you'd think. She's an oil painter and watercolor artist. We live in San Juan. My sons, Mycroft and Eliot, are in Miami.

Escape Room Enthusiasts

Dawn and I have played 300+ escape rooms each. We're annual nominators and voters for the TERPECA awards. (Yes, there are awards for escape rooms. Yes, we take it seriously.)

Competitive by Nature

Biggest Clifton StrengthsFinder result: Competition. I track phone unlocks (30+ daily), email volume (200+), and my Duolingo streak (1,000+ days). Introvert who built a career on public speaking. (The universe has a sense of humor.)

Get in Touch

Speaking engagements, consulting, partnerships, or advisory roles.