Chhay Chhun

Yo, you gotta hear about Chhay Chhun. This guy’s a real deal, straight-up startup legend in the making. So, here’s the scoop, he’s a kid who came from some heavy shit, born in Thailand to Cambodian parents running from the Khmer Rouge. Dude grew up bouncing between refugee camps and the Bronx, no joke. That kinda background? It fuels his hustle, big time.

Fast forward, he hits Harvard, studying English, yeah, English, not some tech degree, and there he meets his co-founder Solomon Liou. That’s where the magic begins. Chhay’s always been into tech, but more than that, he’s super driven to build stuff that actually makes a difference. After Harvard, he jumps into the world of web dev, working at heavy hitters like Time Out New York, Forbes, The Economist, basically all the big content and media players. He crushed it there, especially at The Economist where he was a senior developer and core committer. The guy’s got serious chops in web stuff, local marketplaces, content platforms, you name it.

But the real big change? KidPass. He co-founded it in 2015, and man, this thing is a gem, a platform for parents to find and book kids’ activities. Think about it, he took his tech skills and his passion for building useful stuff and created something that helps families. They got into Y Combinator’s Winter 2017 batch, the real deal in startup circles, and Chhay led the tech strategy, built the team, scaled it up. KidPass grew like crazy and wrapped up a successful exit in 2021. That’s not small potatoes; that’s legit proof he knows how to build and grow a startup from zero to hero.

Now, he’s still crushing it, he’s CTO at Jets.com and runs Founders Effect LLC, plus he’s advising and leading engineering at other places like BEGiN and still involved with KidPass. Basically, he’s all about building, leading, and innovating. His process? It screams motivation. Dude’s been through hell, but instead of breaking, he leveled up and used his experience to create something meaningful. Starting something isn’t just about making money for him, it’s about solving real problems, having an effect, and pushing boundaries.

This guy’s story is the epitome of hustle and purpose. From refugee camps to tech leadership, he’s proof that background doesn’t define you, your drive does. And he’s not just talking; he’s out here building the future. No cap.