# Jimmy Chen

> Jimmy Chen is the CEO and co-founder of Propel, the company behind a free app used by more than five million low-income households to manage government benefits. A Stanford Symbolic Systems graduate and former LinkedIn and Facebook product manager, he founded Propel in 2014 through Blue Ridge Labs. His work connects consumer software, benefits access and direct cash assistance.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-Founder at Propel
- **Organizations:** Propel, Share Our Strength, TechNYC, Blue Ridge Labs, Facebook, LinkedIn
- **Education:** B.S. in Symbolic Systems, Stanford University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Propel, whose app is used by more than five million low-income households, according to its official founder biography., Inaugural recipient of Stanford’s President’s Award for the Advancement of the Common Good in 2022., Testified before Congress about modernizing the social safety net.

## Career timeline

- **2010** — Graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in Symbolic Systems.
- **2010–2012** — Associate product manager at LinkedIn.
- **2012–2014** — Product manager at Facebook; worked on Facebook Groups.
- **2014** — Founded Propel through a Blue Ridge Labs fellowship.
- **2015** — Propel launched its EBT balance-checking app.
- **2021** — Providers Card launched; congressional witness biography described the app as serving over five million Americans.
- **2022** — Received Stanford’s inaugural President’s Award for the Advancement of the Common Good.
- **2024** — Providers app was renamed Propel in August.
- **2026** — Propel and GiveDirectly announced a $1 million Thanksgiving SNAP Bridge Fund in October.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Propel, whose app is used by more than five million low-income households, according to its official founder biography.
- Inaugural recipient of Stanford’s President’s Award for the Advancement of the Common Good in 2022.
- Testified before Congress about modernizing the social safety net.
- Propel raised more than $80 million in venture capital, as reported in his 2022 Startups for Good biography.
- Serves on the boards of Share Our Strength and TechNYC.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — On October 21, Propel and GiveDirectly announced a $1 million Thanksgiving SNAP Bridge Fund intended to provide $100 payments to 10,000 selected eligible SNAP households that missed an October deposit.
- **2026-01** — Appeared on Payne Points of Wealth to discuss his immigrant childhood and building technology for low-income Americans.
- **2025-10** — Published a statement on Propel’s data minimization, privacy and EBT security tools.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmychen1
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/jimmychen

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jimmy-chen
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-27