Nonny de la Peña is regarded as one of the most influential pioneers in virtual and augmented reality and was recently named WSJ Technology Innovator of the Year. A Wired Magazine #MakeTechHuman Agent of Change, she has been called “The Godmother of Virtual Reality” by Engadget and The Guardian. Additionally, Fast Company named her “One of the People Who Made the World More Creative” and CNET’s 20 Most Influential Latinos in Tech for her pioneering work in immersive storytelling. As CEO of Emblematic Group, she leads the company in creating cutting edge technologies to not only tell stories that create intense, empathic engagement. Her latest endeavor, REACH.Love, is a no-code WebXR platform that intends to empower anyone to create and distribute AR/VR stories straight in the browser.

A New America Fellow, Yale Poynter Media Fellow, and winner of the Knight Innovation Award, de la Peña is widely credited with creating the genre of immersive journalism. Currently a member of the BAFTA virtual reality board, she is a former correspondent for Newsweek and her virtual reality work has been featured by the New York Times, BBC, Mashable, Vice, Wired and many others. Showcases around the globe include the Sundance and Tribeca Film Festivals, The World Economic Forum in Davos, The Victoria and Albert Museum, Moscow Museum of Modern Art, and Games For Change. She has more than 20 years of award-winning experience in print, film and TV and has used her broad knowledge to innovate in this burgeoning field. Her spatial narratives are consistently met with critical acclaim.