Jaclyn Chen

Hold up, you need to know about Jaclyn Chen. This girl is the real deal in the startup world. She’s a YC W20 alum, which means she crushed it early on with her vision. But the crazy part? Her process started way before she even launched Benepass.

She’s got a solid background in finance, worked at Goldman Sachs and TPG Capital, so she knows her way around money, investments, and the ins and outs of big finance. But what’s wild is that her personal experience with employee benefits was the spark that pushed her to jump into the startup game. She saw firsthand how crappy and outdated perks can be, and she thought, “There’s gotta be a better way.”

So in 2019, she co-founded Benepass with Kabir Soorya and Mark Fischer. The goal? Modernize corporate compensation and perks. Think flexible, personalized benefits instead of boring, one-size-fits-all stuff. And no cap, this thing took off. They raised over $34 million and now serve over 100,000 employees across more than 60 companies in like 30+ countries. That’s a legit global impact.

What’s crazy is how she’s turned her personal problem into a full-blown success story. Her experience in finance gave her the smarts, but her drive and vision made her build something that’s changing how companies treat their people. Basically, she’s rewriting the rules of employee perks and benefits, making it more flexible, more human.

And being part of YC W20? That’s a huge badge of honor. She’s openly talked about her YC experience, sharing how it helped her scale, fundraise, and really level up the startup. She’s not just in it for herself, she’s out here inspiring other founders with her story.

Bottom line: Jaclyn Chen is the kind of founder who saw a problem, knew she could fix it because of her background, and then went all-in. She’s proof that if you combine experience, a personal mission, and some serious hustle, you can build something that actually matters. She’s not just another startup founder, she’s a big change in fintech and employee benefits.