Ravi Puralena has a lifelong fascination with how technology can bring joy to learners. Although his initial attempts at learning a foreign language in a high school classroom were awful, when he got to university, he was able to reprogram the video games and movies he enjoyed to teach himself German successfully. This attracted the attention of the Alexander von Humbolt Foundation and the German Government, who awarded him a long-term fellowship to continue exploring how video game technology and techniques could improve the language learning process. He also had many further opportunities to explore this topic, working as a Research Manager in the MIT Education Arcade / Learning Games Network research lab and elsewhere.

Shahani Towfiq is an educational technologist and children’s media producer. She has produced award-winning products such as Pearson’s Computer Curriculum Corporation CCCnet, Encyclopaedia Britannica’s BritannicaSchool, and LeapFrog’s LeapPad Learning System titles. At LeapFrog, she managed cross-functional teams to develop the LeapFrog Phonics Program and other products teaching language arts, math and social studies. She also worked on LeapFrog's Advanced Concepts team to adapt the use of new technologies for constructivist learning. She co-launched Swirly Studios to blend learning science and design with digital tools--consulting and creating commissioned kids' apps which promote learning and healthy development. She strives to build products that are accessible to all learners. She received her BA from the University of California at Berkeley in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on EdTech, and an M. Ed. in Technology, Innovation & Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education.