Center for Social Innovation

Published: August 03, 2011 Download  32 minutes, 14.8mb, recorded 2011-05-04

Four million babies die every year simply due to an inability to maintain their own body temperature. Incubators can save lives, but traditionally cost up to $20,000 and require a constant supply of electricity—prohibitive demands in many parts of the developing world. Leveraging the power of social entrepreneurship, Jane Chen and a team of her Stanford Graduate School of Business classmates developed Embrace, a portable and electricity-free alternative sold at about 0.1% of the cost of current incubators. In this audio lecture Chen discusses the challenges and rewards of the development process, and shares her insights on the attitudes that allow entrepreneurs to find success. Jane Chen was speaking as part of the annual Women in Management banquet organized by the Stanford Business School Alumni Association.

Jane Chen is the co-founder and CEO of Embrace. Jane's background includes a blend of business and social sector experience. Jane previously 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. She also worked at Monitor Group as a management consultant, advising Fortune 500 companies in Asia Pacific (across fast moving consumer goods, telecommunications and pharmaceutical industries) in strategy development, marketing, and acquisitions. Jane holds an MBA from Stanford University and a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Pomona College.

Resources

• Embrace website
• Class Highlight: Entrepreneurial Design for Extreme Affordability (Video)
• Class Highlight: Entrepreneurial Design for Extreme Affordability (Course Description)
• Article: Women are Still Scarce in Top-Level Business Positions