Redesigning Education with Kavindya Thennakoon: From Sri Lanka to Stanford, and the Future of EdTech

In this inspiring episode of Tech Talk 360, we sit down with Kavindya Thennakoon—Stanford researcher, designer, and founder of TILLI—to explore how early childhood education can be radically reimagined for the 21st century.

From Challenging School Norms to Building Impact at Scale

Kavindya shares her incredible journey from questioning rigid school systems in Sri Lanka to building an edtech startup that has already touched the lives of over 21,000 children. Discover how her volunteer teaching experiences sparked a mission to transform learning environments through empathy, emotional growth, and cognitive development.

Why Emotional Intelligence Matters

Learn why Kavindya believes emotional learning should be as fundamental as math. She breaks down the science of early childhood development and how the first 10 years shape everything from mental health to economic opportunity.

Harnessing AI to Empower Teachers

Kavindya dives into the thoughtful integration of AI in education—how it can streamline low-value tasks, personalize learning, and support teachers, not replace them.

The TILLI Model: Building Emotional & Cognitive Skills

Get a behind-the-scenes look at TILLI’s unique curriculum, how it operates across both village schools and elite institutions, and the data-backed emotional transformations it’s catalyzing in students.

️ Chapters include:

• Her early classroom experiences and lessons from Stanford
• The 8 core cognitive skills behind TILLI
• Localizing learning for Sinhala, Tamil, and English learners
• The challenges of scaling emotional learning
• The ethical use of screens and AI in early education
• Funding and the future of purpose-driven edtech startups

If you care about the future of learning, emotional intelligence, or tech for good, this episode is a must-listen.

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