Todd Young

a16z Podcast | Modernizing Government Services, From Food Stamps to Foster Care

Jimmy Chen, Todd Young, Senator Todd Young

Senator Todd Young and Propel CEO Jimmy Chen collaborated to advance legislation and business models that modernize critical social safety net systems, specifically targeting inefficiencies in foster care placement and SNAP benefit management. Young sponsored a national bill to replace paper-based records with real-time interstate tracking for children, while Chen introduced a freemium mobile platform designed to streamline EBT balance checks and connect 44 million recipients with retail resources. The discussion further outlined a framework for evidence-based policy requiring independent third-party evaluations and outcome-based government contracts to shift the paradigm from viewing program recipients as liabilities to recognizing them as assets capable of entrepreneurship.