Who We Are
Our Story
Knowalla began with a simple insight: students learn best by teaching. As an academic Olivia saw that explaining concepts revealed knowledge gaps traditional studying missed.
This led her to Stanford’s Learning Design and Technology Master’s program, where she explored how generative AI could scale the learning-by-teaching approach and developed the first prototypes for an AI-teachable agent.
The project was selected for Stanford Business School’s Ignite program, where positive feedback from educators, investors, and mentors confirmed its value.
Encouraged by this momentum, she launched Knowalla with the vision of scaling learning-by-teaching and empowering students to lead their own learning.
Our Team
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Olivia Tomaeno
CEO & Co-Founder
Olivia Tomaeno is a learning scientist with a focus on helping students become independent, self-regulated learners. She has worked in classroom, clinical, and private practice settings, supporting students in developing executive functioning skills. Knowalla emerged as a spinoff from her master’s capstone project at Stanford in 2022.
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Connor Haugh
CTO & Co-Founder
Connor Haugh is a software engineer with expertise in agile development and scalable educational technology. Previously a senior engineer at edX, he now leads Knowalla’s engineering and design, ensuring the platform is intuitive, adaptable, and built for global impact.
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Bobby Shogren
CTO & Co-Founder
Bobby Shogren is a consultant and investor with experience in business strategy and commercialization. Working with Knowalla in a part-time capacity, he oversees business operations and growth strategy, ensuring the company’s long-term sustainability.
Our Research Collaborators
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Dr. Dan Schwartz
Dr. Dan Schwartz is the Dean of Stanford’s Graduate School of Education and faculty director at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning. For over 30 years, Dr. Schwartz has explored how people learn and is a leading expert on teachable agents and the protégé effect. His work forms the cornerstone of Knowalla’s pedagogical approach.
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Dr. John Weathers
Dr. Weathers is a professor of educational leadership and policy, a startup founder, and an expert in edtech implementation and evaluation. He directs Knowalla’s pilot research studies and supports us to build robust evidence of efficacy.
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Dr. Cathy Chase
Dr. Chase is a Senior Research Scholar at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning and an expert in cognition, STEM education, and educational technology. With 18 years in the Learning Sciences, she supports Knowalla in our learning design, drawing from her work on teachable agents, educational games, and AI-based learning supports.