Alejandro Vadilla

Revolutionized education access in Latin America through online learning platforms

Alejandro Vadilla is a Chilean educator and founder of Geekipedia, a pioneering online education platform that democratized tech education in Latin America. Born in 1982 in Santiago, Vadilla identified the lack of affordable coding education while working in Silicon Valley during the early 2000s. In 2007, he returned to Chile to launch the first Spanish-language coding academy targeting underprivileged youth.

Geekipedia's innovative 'pay-what-you-can' model allowed 90% scholarship access while maintaining financial sustainability. The platform now operates in 8 countries with partnerships including Google's Digital Garage program. Vadilla's 'Code for Change' initiative trains teachers to create tech curricula for rural schools, impacting over 200,000 students.

His work has been highlighted by UNESCO's Education 2030 initiative and inspired similar programs in Peru and Mexico. Vadilla also developed the region's first open-source curriculum framework for AI education, adopted by 15 national education ministries.