Jane Chen: Riding the Waves of Impact
I first met Jane Chen in 2012, when we both were selected as Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum. I was the Managing Director of SAP Labs India and Jane was co-founder and CEO of Embrace — both of us were based in Bengaluru. We both were young, idealistic, and felt we could change the world. After more than a decade we both have come to the realization that we can only change ourselves! We both are now based in the United States — our idealism may have tapered off, but Jane in the meantime has saved a million lives. She continues to amaze me, and I consider myself fortunate to call her a dear friend.
Personally, to get a ringside view of Jane’s journey has been one of the privileges of my life. She has also contributed immensely to the success of the SAP Academy for Engineering, having been one of its most popular instructors. I have also seen her struggles closely, and it takes great courage to share them with the world. Jane trusted me with the early manuscript of her memoir Like A Wave We Break, and I cannot be prouder to see it come to life on 14 October 2025.
Early Life: Roots of Resilience
Jane Chen’s story is inseparable from her immigrant upbringing. The daughter of Taiwanese parents who moved to the US in search of a better future, Jane grew up in Southern California amid cultural tensions between East and West. Her household emphasized academic achievement, perfection, and discipline, leaving little room for mistakes or vulnerability.
This early pressure became both a crucible and a compass. It instilled in her a fierce determination to excel, but also a deep sensitivity to suffering and injustice. From winning spelling bees to struggling under the weight of parental expectations, Jane’s childhood prepared her for the paradoxes of leadership. As she reflects in her memoir, she learned early that achievement mattered more than identity. This formative tension between external validation and inner truth would later shape her life’s journey.
From Corporate Consulting to Purpose
Jane initially followed a conventional path after college, joining a prestigious consulting firm in Hong Kong. Her life shifted when she encountered a New York Times story about China’s HIV/AIDS crisis, which led her to volunteer with orphans. That moment cracked her world open. She saw how entire villages were being devastated by an avoidable epidemic, how children were left parentless, and how little was being done.
Later, at Harvard’s Kennedy School, she studied under Paul Farmer, whose work in Haiti emphasized treating every patient with dignity and justice. Farmer’s mantra, “an antidote to despair”, became a personal north star for Jane. She realized that purpose was born from rolling up your sleeves and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with those who suffer.
The Birth of Embrace
In a design class at Stanford, Jane and her teammates were challenged to create a product that could save lives in the developing world. They developed a low-cost infant incubator for premature babies: a sleeping-bag-like pouch embedded with a waxy material that could help maintainbody temperature. They named it Embrace. The class project soon grew into a social enterprise with a global mission that garnered international attention.
Embrace was featured on 20/20, in Time, National Geographic, Forbes, and more. Governments and NGOs began adopting the warmers across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Jane was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, a TED Fellow, and one of Forbes’ Impact 30. She presented Embrace to President Obama at the White House and received a personal donation from Beyoncé.
But behind the glamour was strain. As Jane confesses, “With each new tier of success came new fears… I felt myself disappearing into performance.” The weight of responsibility — millions of lives depending on her work — was exhilarating and crushing at once.
The Cost of Impact
Changing the world, Jane learned, comes with a human cost. Years of nonstop travel and public scrutiny left her exhausted. She battled self-doubt and the ever-present fear of failure. Critics questioned whether she was the right person to lead; funders doubted her. Yet her team’s loyalty and the sight of lives saved kept her moving forward.
Eventually, however, Embrace faced challenges of scale. Distribution in India was mired in bureaucracy and corruption. Sustaining the social enterprise was an uphill battle. The innovation had changed countless lives, but the personal toll on Jane was immense.
A Wave, A Wipeout, and Renewal
Jane’s memoir uses the metaphor of surfing — waves that lift and waves that wipe out. She writes: “This is the story of a wipeout.” The wipeout was about losing her company, her sense of self. But she also writes of surrendering to the turbulence and realizing she could resurface: “Overcoming fear isn’t about running away. It’s about knowing you can fail and still be okay.”
Her post-Embrace years became a quest for healing — silent retreats, therapy, spiritual practices, and reconnecting with herself. What she discovered, she says, is that we are not the waves, but the sea itself. Beneath the turbulence lies something infinite, steady, and boundless — love.
Teacher, Author, Friend
Today, Jane continues to inspire not only through her social entrepreneurship but also through teaching and writing. SAP donated hundreds of Embrace units to war-torn Ukraine. And, when Jane shared her story with Phil Harvey from Coldplay during the band’s visit to the SAP Academy for Engineering, Coldplay made its donation to Embrace. While Embrace found its supporters across the world, Jane has moved on to a new chapter in her life!
Jane Chen’s life is a reminder that impact is not linear. It comes in waves — some that lift us, some that crash us down. What matters is not avoiding the wipeouts but finding the courage to rise again.
