Kenny Chen is the Innovation Director at Ascender, a Pittsburgh-based economic development nonprofit that simultaneously functions as a startup incubator, coworking space, community hub, and producer of the annual Thrival Festival. In his role, Kenny focuses on facilitating strategic initiatives and cross-sector partnerships that leverage Pittsburgh’s entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems to advance global dialogues on ethics and policy considerations surrounding emerging technologies.

In addition to his work at Ascender, Kenny is the cofounder of involveMINT, a social currency platform that partners with local businesses to offer rewards to volunteers. He also serves as an XPRIZE Ambassador, Techstars Community Leader and Startup Weekend Facilitator, World Economic Forum Global Shaper, and board member at the Pittsburgh Entrepreneurs Forum and Social Venture Partners Pittsburgh.

Kenny’s career interests in cross-sector collaboration have led him to work in and learn the “languages” of various fields, including education, behavioral research, federal government, local government, nonprofits, foundations, economic development, and entrepreneurship. He holds a degree in Social Psychology from UC Berkeley, and has worked in Las Vegas, San Francisco, Washington DC, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Haiti, and Pittsburgh.