Biography
Denise Abulafia is a neuroscientist, education entrepreneur, and faculty member at Penn GSE. Her work focuses on the design and scaling of learning technologies that foster intrinsic motivation, meaningful engagement, and measurable impact.
Denise is the co-founder of Educatina.com, an online learning platform that reached more than six million Spanish-speaking students and was acquired in 2017. She also founded Aulaya.com and currently serves on the advisory boards of several EdTech companies globally, where she supports product strategy, learning design, and innovation management. In addition, she is an early-stage investor in education and technology ventures, with a particular interest in mission-driven startups.
At Penn GSE, Denise teaches in programs focused on education entrepreneurship, innovation, and learning technologies. She has developed and led applied learning experiences—including the AI Lab for Educators—that explore how emerging technologies can be thoughtfully integrated into teaching, curriculum design, and institutional strategy. Her work in this area emphasizes responsible implementation, pedagogical alignment, and the role of technology as a tool to enhance—not replace—human-centered learning.
Denise is also an international speaker on education innovation and learning technologies, frequently engaging with educators, policymakers, and entrepreneurs across the Americas and beyond. She currently serves as Chapter Leader of the Ibero-American Association of EdTech, fostering collaboration among education leaders in Latin America, Spain, and the United States.
Her broader work spans partnerships with educational institutions, startups, and policy initiatives across the Americas, with a particular interest in scaling evidence-informed innovation in complex educational systems.