Start fresh. How Propel and the Fresh EBT app is battling poverty.

01/01/20 • 67 min

Innovation For All - Diversity in Tech and Business

Jimmy Chen is the Founder and CEO of Propel, a software company that aims to fight poverty through technology. They are the creators of the Fresh EBT mobile app, which enables EBT cardholders to manage their benefits, save money through grocery coupons, and find jobs. Fresh EBT is used by over 2 million low-income Americans across the country. In this episode of Innovation For All Podcast, Sheana learns why Jimmy decided to start Propel and use the tools of Silicon Valley to address social issues around poverty.

In this episode you will learn:

Why Jimmy Chen decided to focus on building tech for low income families
What is Propel and Fresh EBT
Why start with the food stamp program to battle poverty
How does Propel get the experience and empathy to solve problems they might not understand
What is the process for getting usable information from users
What are the logistical and general obstacles faced by Propel and how are they overcome
What are some misconceptions about the food stamp program
Where else can the private sector make a difference and what are the challenges

Get show notes for this an every episode at innovationforallcast.com or find us on Twitter @inforallpodcast.

Original air date: 8/21/19

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovation-for-all/message
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/innovation-for-all/support

In this episode you will learn:

Why Jimmy Chen decided to focus on building tech for low income families
What is Propel and Fresh EBT
Why start with the food stamp program to battle poverty
How does Propel get the experience and empathy to solve problems they might not understand
What is the process for getting usable information from users
What are the logistical and general obstacles faced by Propel and how are they overcome
What are some misconceptions about the food stamp program
Where else can the private sector make a difference and what are the challenges

Get show notes for this an every episode at innovationforallcast.com or find us on Twitter @inforallpodcast.

Original air date: 8/21/19

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovation-for-all/message
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/innovation-for-all/support

Previous Episode

What Tech Gets Wrong about Appalachia feat. Dr. Sherry Hamby

In this episode of the Innovation For All Podcast, Sheana Ahlqvist talks to Dr. Sherry Hamby, a Research Professor of Psychology at the University of the South and a Director of the Life Paths Research Center (LPRC). They talk about the role of technology in peoples daily lives. They discuss Appalachian attitudes and values, ResilienceCon and how different societies operate in a technology-centric environment.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL HEAR:

The culture of values and skepticism that makes Appalachian resistant to technology
What are the attitudes and stereotypes about Appalachia?
How are low income regions like Appalachia portrayed?
How different forms of violence are shifting online, for instance Cyber bullying
The negative effects on relationships from technology
How do people feel about Privacy invasion, data protection and cyber-crimes?
Is protecting our own privacy equally distributed among the rich and the poor?
What are the differences between how rural and urban societies operate?
How do regulations fit in all this?
The importance of consent in letting technology earn the trust of people.

Get show notes for this an every episode at innovationforallcast.com or find us on Twitter @inforallpodcast.
Original air date: 2/6/19

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/innovation-for-all/message
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/innovation-for-all/support

Next Episode

What should change in 2020? My favorite guests return.

In this special episode, our favorite experts on AI, product designers and more return to answer two key questions: What’s the biggest news in your field in 2019, since we recorded the podcast? What's something that's been missing from the conversation that you'd like to see gain more interest in 2020? You'll hear from

Reena Jana (@rjmac), Google's Head of Product and Business Inclusion. Hear more in her full episode: Making Products Inclusive, the Google Way
Josh Lovejoy (@jdlovejoy), Principal design manager, ethics and society at Microsoft. Hear more in his full episode: What does human-centered AI even mean?
Sherry Hamby, Director of the Life Paths Research Center (LPRC). Hear more in her full episode: Stereotyping Appalachia: What Tech Gets Wrong
Wendy De La Rosa (@wdlrosa), co-founder of Common Cents Lab. Hear more in her full episode: Why FinTech is failing the poor?