About

Hi, I’m Jason

I’m a startup founder, writer and ex-gymnast-turned-runner based in San Francisco. It’s nice to meet you.

I cofounded Ridejoy, a community marketplace for rideshare backed by Y Combinator and run a blog called The Art of Ass-Kicking (you’re on it now!) which has been featured in publications like Vanity Fair, Lifehacker and Mashable.

I love meeting new people —  reach me at @jasonshen or jasonyshen/@/ gmail.com

About the Blog

Here, I share what I’ve learned (and am learning) about how to overcome fear, create great work and do epic sh*t in our professional and personal lives. My goal is to produce a body of work that informs and inspires individuals to challenge the status quo and bring courage, truth and compassion into the world.

A taste of what that means:

My Story

I was born in Suzhou, China and moved to United States when I was three when my Dad did his doctorate in education at Boston University.

Our first home was the attic of a nursing home for the mentally disabled where in addition to their day jobs, my parents worked the overnight shift. Eventually we got our own place and I grew up in Newton, a suburb of Boston.

When I was thirteen, I read The 7 Habits for Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. Mind. Blown. The idea that I was responsible for my thoughts and actions and that I could, by changing my mindset and behavior, live in a more effective, happy and meaningful way, was an incredible insight.

Competing for Stanford on the Pommel Horse.

I studied hard, got good grades and was accepted into Stanford University and joined the men’s gymnastics team. In my junior year, I suffered a terrible knee injury that ultimately required 5 reconstructive knee surgeries and hundreds of hours of rehab.

Quitting was never an option. I threw myself into the recovery process.

One year later, I stepped back on to the competition floor (with the help of amazing friends, family and medical staff). In my final season, I was co-captain of an NCAA-championship winning team – our first victory in 14 years.

After earning a BS with honors and an MS in Biology, I began my career running the Stanford Daily, then working at an adtech company called isocket – my first true experience at a startup.

My cofounders Kalvin, Randy and I at one of the first Y Combinator dinners.

In 2011, I co-founded of Ridejoy with two close friends and we were accepted into the incredible Y Combinator program and have been working on that ever since, learning tons more about how startups work. If you’re thinking about applying, you can sign up for my free newsletter and get a copy of my 96-pg Guide to YC.

My knee is still holding up. Since moving on from gymnastics, I’ve found running to be an incredible way to stay in shape and be competitive, training for a sprint triathlon and the SF Marathon in 2012.