EdTech start-up founder and CEO takes industry to next level

With a background in educational leadership, she previously served as the principal of Bethany Baptist Academy in Iligan City, Philippines, where she introduced a tablet-based digital learning program in 2015, setting the stage for her passion for innovation in education.

Driven by the challenges schools faced during the Covid-19 pandemic, Ursel launched EdFolio, a marketplace for e-books and educational supplementary materials.

She later developed SkoolTek, a comprehensive school management system. The platform integrated enrollment, billing, learning management, artificial intelligence facial recognition, blockchain-based transcript management, a career-predictive-profiling system, and other upcoming features, offering a seamless digital ecosystem for schools.

Under her leadership, EdFolio and SkoolTek have surpassed growth targets and are on track to double their respective revenues.

This year, the two companies continued to expand in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region.

Just recently, the companies got into an investment-linked program run by an EdTech accelerator, based in Singapore.

Laureno also founded the National Educational & Technology Conference or EdTek Con 2025, a premiere event that brought together educators as well as industry and government leaders to discuss the future of education in the Philippines.

A Christian entrepreneur, Laureno credited her success to God’s faithfulness.

Having witnessed firsthand how God’s provision sustained her business through critical moments, she has made it her mission to bridge technology and education to ensure that institutions — regardless of size — could thrive in the digital era.