CULVER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Encantos, an award-winning edtech company focused on helping kids learn 21st century skills through digital and physical play-based subscription products, today announced the appointment of Keith Elliott as its new chief technology officer (CTO). As Encantos’ CTO, Keith will drive strategic, cross-company initiatives to maximize Encantos’ impact with kids, families and educators. Encantos’ first CTO and Co-Founder Carlos Hoyos will move into the newly created role of Chief Data Officer to lead development of the Encantos Learning Platform working closely with Elliott.
Elliott joins Encantos’ Executive Team, reporting directly to Encantos Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Steven Wolfe Pereira. “We are thrilled that Keith will bring to Encantos his unique expertise developing platforms and services that empower families and organizations,” Wolfe Pereira said. “Keith has that rare blend of both technology and business acumen. His vision for technology-enabled personalization and his experience launching companies marry perfectly with this stage of our development, as Encantos scales and expands to a full portfolio of direct-to-learner brands.”
“The thing that gets me up every morning and that has always excited me about technology is its role in empowering people and how it can truly enrich their lives,” Elliott said. “There has never been a more important time to use the power of technology to help kids learn 21st century skills and I’m excited to join the leader in entertainment-driven edtech to help solve some of the most important education challenges facing kids and families today.”
With over 22 years of experience leading technology and product teams at startups and global multinationals alike, Elliott will oversee the development and execution of Encantos’ technology and product roadmap from the AI-driven Encantos Learning Platform to the subscription-led blended learning digital and physical products. He will also support the company’s broader go-to-market strategy, drive rapid innovation for kids and families and contribute to the company’s ongoing leadership in the edtech ecosystem.
“Encantos is one of those rare companies with a direct-to-learner approach that has fundamentally transformed how kids learn by fusing the best of entertainment, education and technology,” said Carlos Hoyos, Chief Data Officer and Co-Founder. “I’m thrilled to welcome a technologist like Keith to join our team of world-class brand builders, educators and engineers who are dedicated to helping kids learn 21st century skills through integrated digital and physical play for families across the globe.”
Prior to joining Encantos, Elliott was co-founder and CEO at GittieLabs, a technology consulting firm he founded working with Fortune 500 and startup clients. Before that he spent many years working in the financial services industry as a software engineer and architect at firms including Barclays, Chatham Financial and Wachovia Securities (now part of Wells Fargo). He started his career as a software engineer at Ciena Corporation. Elliott attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated from the dual-degree program with a B.S. in General Science from Morehouse College and B.S. in Computer Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and received an MBA from Columbia Business School.
This appointment comes on the heels of other strategic additions to Encantos’ leadership team: In November, the company added Julie Fleischer as Chief Growth Officer and Taylor Margis-Noguera as Chief Operating Officer.
ABOUT ENCANTOS
Encantos is an award-winning edtech company that believes kids learn best through play. Focused on teaching 21st century learning, literacy, and life skills, Encantos builds direct-to-consumer brands with its unique “storyteaching” approach that kids and parents love. Its brands come to life using a blended learning approach via digital and physical products, including subscription apps and boxes, animated series, books, puzzles, and games that all work together to entertain, educate and inspire kids of all ages.
Encantos' family brands include the Emmy-nominated and 2x Kidscreen award-winning #1 bilingual preschool brand Canticos, the Day of the Dead-inspired resilience brand Skeletitos, and the adventure-based travel brand Tiny Travelers. Encantos has received numerous industry awards and accolades from the AP, ASU GSV, CNN, Common Sense Media, Forbes, Kidscreen, Kirkus Reviews, NBC News, The New York Times, NPR, Parents Magazine, Publishers Weekly, Romper, School Library Journal, Univision and USA Today. Headquartered in Culver City, CA, Encantos is a proud Latinx-led and women-owned public benefit corporation that puts diversity, equality, and inclusion at the heart of everything it creates.
For more information, visit encantosbrands.com and follow @encantosbrands on Instagram and Twitter.
