| Jane Chen | |
| Birth Name: | Jane Marie Chen |
| Alma Mater: | Pomona College Harvard University Stanford University |
| Nationality: | Taiwanese American |
| Occupation: | Co-founder and former CEO, Embrace, and Co-founder and CEO, Embrace Innovations |
| Known For: | Co-founder at Embrace (non-profit) |
Jane Marie Chen is the co-founder of Embrace, a social enterprise that invented and distributes a low-cost infant warmer,[1] that gives premature and low-birth-weight infants a better chance at survival.[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] The Embrace infant warmers / incubators have now helped to save over 700,000 babies in 25 countries. [7] Jane 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.[8]
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.[9]
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, and worked for the Clinton Foundation’s HIV/AIDS Initiative in Tanzania.[10] 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.[11] 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.[12] In 2014, Chen was invited to the White House's first ever Maker Faire, where she presented Embrace's work to President Obama.[13] 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.[14]
See main article: Embrace (incubator). 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.[15] In 2008, they co-founded Embrace, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, to bring their project to life.[16] [17] In January 2012, Embrace moved into a hybrid structure.[18] 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.[19] 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.[20]
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.[21]
Embrace's nonprofit arm donated over 2,500 incubators to Ukraine in 2022,[22] and donates incubators to emergency responses and humanitarian crises around the world.[23]
Chen has been a TED speaker,[24] and was selected as one of Forbes' Impact 30 in 2011.[25] 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.[26] Chen has been recognized as the Inspirational Young Alumni of the Year by Pomona College,[27] and selected as a "Woman of Distinction" by the American Association of University Women.[28] Chen has spoken at numerous international conferences, including the Skoll World Forum, Bloomberg Design Conference, Forbes Women's Summit, and the World Economic Forum.[29]
In 2012, Chen was named as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum,[30] and was featured in Dove's "Real Role Models" campaign for women and girls.[31] She was also profiled in AOL's Makers campaign.[10] Chen is a TED Fellow, Echoing Green Fellow, and Rainer Arnhold Fellow.
Chen's memoir was acquired by Penguin Random House, and will be published in 2025.[32]