About Us

We’re on a mission to close the widening gap between technological innovation and workforce readiness.

Frontier Technology Institute (FTI) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to building direct pipelines between frontier technology breakthroughs to the classrooms and communities that will power America’s future economy. To prepare the future workforce, we provide comprehensive pathways of training, career-connected learning, community, and resources for K-16 students and educators.

FTI is build to move at the pace of frontier technology—translating what is new into what is teachable, scalable, and skills-based. Our work is guided by four principles to ensure students and educators are prepared not just for today’s technologies—but for what comes next.

  • Frontier technologies evolve in real time. Education systems traditionally do not.

    We are built to compress the lag between breakthrough and classroom—working directly with researchers, founders, and industry leaders to translate emerging technologies into rigorous, teachable learning experiences while they are still shaping markets and policy.

  • Inspiration without capability does not build a workforce.

    FTI prioritizes structured, applied learning that develops technical fluency and durable skills. Students engage in projects, research, and problem-solving that require persistence, iteration, and critical thinking. Educators leave prepared to teach with confidence and rigor—not just awareness.

    We design for mastery, intellectual resilience, and the ability to operate in complex, evolving systems.

    Surface-level familiarity is not future readiness.

  • Learning must connect to opportunity.

    FTI aligns classroom learning with research experiences, mentorship, internships, and early career pathways in frontier industries. We clarify how emerging technologies translate into real roles, real impact, and real economic mobility.

    At the same time, we cultivate future-proof capabilities: ethical reasoning in AI systems, systems-level thinking in biotechnology, design thinking in advanced manufacturing, and the ability to collaborate across disciplines.

    Education should not end at exposure. It should extend into participation.

  • Students cannot build what they cannot see.

    We bring engineers, founders, scientists, and policymakers directly into structured engagement with students and educators. Through direct dialogue and guided experiences, learners see how frontier technologies are built, challenged, and governed.

    Access builds identity. Identity builds ambition. Ambition builds talent.

    The future should feel reachable—and buildable.

Our Founder

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Kiera Peltz is the Founder and CEO of FTI. She is a social entrepreneur with over a decade of experience leading emerging technology education and workforce development initiatives. After living in China, she recognized the lack of high-quality, in-depth frontier technology training in the U.S. as a critical national security and economic competitiveness issue and set out to address it. Under her leadership, she pioneered AI education beginning in 2016 and Quantum Computing education in 2019, training over 60,000 individuals from 130+ countries.

She holds a MBA from Stanford, a MPhil from the University of Cambridge, a MMsC from Tsinghua University, and a BA from Brown University. Her work has been internationally recognized with honors and awards from numerous organizations, including being named Forbes 30 Under 30, Quantum100, Gates-Cambridge Scholar, and Schwarzman Scholar.

  • A man with dark, curly hair and glasses, wearing a white shirt, smiling slightly.

    Umesh Vazirani

    Director, UC Berkeley’s Quantum Computation Center

  • Close-up photo of a young woman with red, curly hair, freckles, and a bright smile, wearing a beige turtleneck and blazer, in a well-lit indoor setting.

    Gabriela Guimaraes Weldon

    Associate, Arnold & Porter Law Firm

  • A young woman with long blonde hair, smiling outdoors in front of a brick wall and greenery.

    Lauren Becker

    Software Engineer, Walt Disney Company

  • Young man with short dark hair, glasses, wearing a dark blue hoodie, smiling in front of a black background.

    Jerry Liu

    Software Engineer, Openstore

  • Close-up of a man with short dark hair and tan skin, wearing a gray shirt, looking directly at the camera against a plain green background.

    Spiros Michalakis

    Physicist, CalTech’s Institute for Quantum Information and Matter

  • Portrait of a young man with light brown hair wearing a dark suit, light blue shirt, and striped tie, smiling against a plain background.

    Andrew Oliver

    Cloud and AI SWE, Microsoft

  • A man with dark hair, glasses, and a beard, wearing a red shirt against a blue background.

    Ben Isecke

    President of NJ CSTA & CS Teacher, Bergen County Academies

  • Close-up of a middle-aged man with glasses, a beard, and brown hair, smiling at the camera.

    Michael Rosen

    President, MegaTrend Entertainment

Our Sponsors & Partners

Our sponsors and partners make our work possible. Thank you for helping equip the next generation with the skills needed for the frontier economy.

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The image features the logo for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, with the text 'Rugby World Cup France 2023' alongside a stylized rugby ball design in red and yellow.
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NYC Department of Youth & Community Development logo with orange 'NYC' and blue text
The Miami Hurricanes logo featuring a stylized 'U' in orange and green colors with the text 'MIAMI' in orange below.
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Logo for Infosys Foundation USA and online institute Pathfinders.
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Logo for EeroQ Quantum Hardware featuring blue and orange text and symbols.
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