Jane Chen
Chen in 2012
Born
Jane Marie Chen
NationalityTaiwanese American
Alma materPomona College
Harvard University
Stanford University
Occupation(s)Co-founder and former CEO, Embrace, and Co-founder and CEO, Embrace Innovations
Known forCo-founder at Embrace (non-profit)

Jane Marie Chen is the co-founder of Embrace, a social enterprise startup that produces a low-cost infant warmer,[1] that gives premature and low-birth-weight infants a better chance at survival.[2][3][4][5][6]

She served as the first CEO of Embrace, the non-profit arm of the organization, before stepping into the chief executive officer (CEO) role of Embrace Innovations, the for-profit social enterprise that was spun off in 2012.[7]

Early life and education

Chen holds a BA in Psychology and Economics from Pomona College, a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University, and an MBA from Stanford University.[8]

Career

Prior to Embrace, Chen worked with nonprofit organizations on healthcare issues in developing countries. She spent several years as the program director of a startup HIV/AIDS nonprofit in China (Chi Heng Foundation), and worked for the Clinton Foundation’s HIV/AIDS Initiative in Tanzania.[9] She also worked at Monitor Group as a management consultant.

In 2013, Chen and the other co-founders of Embrace, Linus Liang, Nag Murty, and Rahul Panicker were awarded the Economist Innovation Award, under the category of Social and Economic Innovation.[10] In the same year, Chen and her co-founder Rahul Panicker were also recognized as Schwab Social Entrepreneurs of the Year by the World Economic Forum.[11] In 2014, Chen was invited to the White House's first ever Maker Faire, where she presented Embrace's work to President Obama.[12] In the same year, Beyoncé made a $125,000 contribution through Chime for Change which allowed Embrace to distribute its infant warmers to nine countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.[13]

Embrace

While doing her MBA at Stanford, Chen and a few other fellow graduate students were assigned a class project to create a low-cost infant incubator that could be used in rural areas.[1][8][14] In 2008, they co-founded Embrace, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, to bring their project to life.[15][16] In January 2012, Embrace moved into a hybrid structure.[17] The non-profit entity, Embrace, donates infant warmers to the neediest areas through NGO partners, and provides educational programs on newborn health alongside the distribution of warmers. The for-profit social enterprise, Embrace Innovations, sells the warmers to paying entities, including governments and private clinics, all focusing on emerging markets.[18] Embrace Innovations, the for-profit social enterprise, raised its Series A round of financing in 2012 from Vinod Khosla's Impact Fund and Capricorn Investment Group. The company raised a second round of investment capital from Marc Benioff in 2014.[19]

In 2016, Embrace Innovations launched a line of consumer baby products called Little Lotus Baby (temperature regulating swaddles and sleeping bags), which have a buy-one give-one model. The Little Lotus products use the technology used in the Embrace warmer to keep babies at an ideal skin temperature, thereby helping to improve their sleep.[20]

Awards and recognition

Chen has been a TED speaker,[21] and was selected as one of Forbes' Impact 30 in 2011.[22] In 2019, Chen was featured in AOL/Verizon/Yahoo's "FUTURIST" Series, profiling industry leaders across all different disciplines who are advancing their fields with technology, innovation, and fearlessness.[23] Chen has been recognized as the Inspirational Young Alumni of the Year by Pomona College,[24] and selected as a "Woman of Distinction" by the American Association of University Women.[25] Chen has spoken at numerous international conferences, including the Skoll World Forum, Bloomberg Design Conference, Forbes Women's Summit, and the World Economic Forum.[26]

In 2012, Chen was named as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum,[27] and was featured in Dove's "Real Role Models" campaign for women and girls.[28] She was also profiled in AOL's Makers campaign.[9] Chen is a TED Fellow, Echoing Green Fellow, and Rainer Arnhold Fellow.

References

  1. 1 2 Abrar, Peerzada (July 20, 2012). "Lessons from 50 startups: Stanford grads' Embrace Innovations build low-cost warmer to save young Indian lives". The Economic Times. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Embrace Innovations". Embrace Innovations. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Embrace Nest Baby Warmer, Buy Low Cost Portable Warmer, Infant Warmer Manufacturers". Phoenix Medical Systems (P) Ltd. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Embrace – Design for Extreme Affordability". Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  5. ↑ Tellapragada, Chaitanya; Eshwara, Vandana Kalwaje; Bhat, Parvati; Acharya, Shashidhar; Kamath, Asha; Bhat, Shashikala; Rao, Chythra; Nayak, Sathisha; Mukhopadhyay, Chiranjay (May 2016). "Risk Factors for Preterm Birth and Low Birth Weight Among Pregnant Indian Women: A Hospital-based Prospective Study". Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health. 49 (3): 165–175. doi:10.3961/jpmph.16.022. ISSN 1975-8375. PMC 4898897. PMID 27255075.
  6. ↑ Yakowicz, Will (April 27, 2016). "This Space-Age Blanket Startup Has Helped Save 200,000 Babies (and Counting)". Inc.com. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Embrace:Deciding on a Hybrid Structure" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 13, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  8. 1 2 Lee, Ellen (November 12, 2010). "Embrace may keep babies warm and alive". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  9. 1 2 "Jane Chen: Women in Healthcare". AOL. February 2, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Innovation awards: And the winners are…". The Economist. November 30, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship Announces Social Entrepreneurs of the Year 2013 | World Economic Forum - Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship Announces Social Entrepreneurs of the Year 2013". Weforum.org. February 15, 2013. Archived from the original on April 15, 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  12. ↑ Lelon, Elise (July 10, 2014). "The Baby Saving Revolution: Obama and Beyonce Embrace Founder, Jane Chen (You Will Too)". Huffington Post. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  13. ↑ Weil, Elizabeth (November 20, 2015). "Caring for Premature Babies, With a Little Help From Beyoncé". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  14. ↑ Sibley, Lisa (April 17, 2008). "Stanford startup's $25 'sleeping bag' could save newborns". Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  15. ↑ Dooley, Sean (December 17, 2010). "Embrace Infant Warmer Could Save Thousands". ABC News. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Saving Babies" (Flash). CNN. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  17. ↑ Chen, Jane (February 2013). "Should Your Business Be Nonprofit or For-Profit?". Harvard Business Review. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  18. ↑ Abudheen, Sainul K (August 26, 2013). "Infant warmers maker Embrace raises funding from Khosla Impact, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, others". VCCircle. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
  19. ↑ Chen, Jane. "How I Surfed The Wave That Nearly Drowned My Startup". Forbes. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  20. ↑ "A Simple, Effective Way to Reduce Infant Mortality". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Jane Chen: A warm embrace that saves lives". TED Conference. TED.
  22. ↑ "Forbes impact 30, 2012". Forbes. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
  23. ↑ "Futurists | AOL.com". www.aol.com. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  24. ↑ Hua, Vanessa. "Jane Chen '00 Wins Inspirational Young Alumna Award for Innovative Incubator Invention". Archived from the original on May 16, 2011. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
  25. ↑ "Women of Distinction 2019 Spotlight: Jane Marie Chen". NCCWSL. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  26. ↑ Chen, Jane. "Speaker at Skoll World Forum".
  27. ↑ "World Economic Forum, Young Global Leaders". WEF, Young Global Leaders, 2012. World Economic Forum. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  28. ↑ Series, Dove. "Dove Real Role Models". Dove.
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