About Me

Ray Chen

My name is Ruide Chen (陈瑞德), but everyone I know calls me "Ray". I'm a generalist engineer with expertise in Web Applications and DevOps. My main interest is to applying technology in an intuitive, affordable, and sustainable way to solve real problems; I cringe when I see manual & error-prone processes that can be automated for efficiency. I've tinkered with designing PCBs, testing financial models, improving auto assembly lines, working around high voltage distribution, and many more. I co-founded an enterprise SaaS company creating risk and asset management solutions for life insurers. I have a BS in Electrical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, and a MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. I'm also an alumn of StartX, Stanford's startup accelerator.

My Career

SimPolaris, Inc.

SimPolaris offers a cloud-based SaaS risk and investment management platform for life insurance companies and pension funds. We pivoted the product's focus multiple times, and grew revenue from zero to $300k+ in two years without any external funding. Responsible for all things technical.

  • Product Management: Researched market needs and co-developed go-to-market strategies. Understood customer issues and translated into technical requirements to fit into the product roadmap. Created quick prototypes for immediate feedback. Vetted new technologies on a continuing basis.
  • Full Stack Engineer: Developed and tested new features while considering UX, backwards compatibility and upgradeability. Optimized performance of complex mathematical code. Set coding standards for sustainable code. Wrote and maintained effective tests with 85%+ coverage.
  • DevOps / Systems Architect: Designed and implemented a distributed system on AWS Cloud, featuring zero downtime deploys, reliable architecture with streaming data, failover, backups, automatic scaling, security (passed iSEC/NCC Group penetration tests with no major security concerns).
  • Consultant: Worked as an external consultant for some of the world’s largest insurance companies while determining product/market fit.
  • Miscellaneous: A little bit of everything else to keep the wheels well-oiled; accounting, taxes, legal, HR, IT support, procurement, etc.

2012-present
Co-founder, CTO

StartX

Stanford University’s Startup Accelerator Program

2012
Program Alumni Founder

Stanford University

Master of Science, Electrical Engineering

  • Notable entrepreneurship courses: Business Management for Engineers (EE204), Creating a Startup I & II (S356/366), Accounting for Managers and Entrepreneurs (MS&E 240), Finance (MS&E 245G).
  • First Author, "Finding a Partner Model with Broadcasters at TuneIn" Case Study, 2011.
  • Co-Founder & President, Stanford Car Enthusiasts Club, 2011.

2010-2012
Graduate Degree

Goodman Global, Inc.

Logistics Department

  • Worked on the proof of concept development of a forklift Real-Time Locating System.
  • Designed and built various circuits such as AGC and band-pass filters, created a more reliable design process.
  • Researched and constructed several types of antennas.
  • Tested circuits using signal generators, oscilloscopes, and spectrum analyzers.

2010
R&D Intern

The University of Texas at Austin, Wireless Networking and Communications Group

EURECA Program

  • Sponsored in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
  • Investigated various existing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) implementations.
  • Built and tested a prototype GPS-guided UAV with thermopile stabilization.

2009
Undergraduate Researcher

Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana, Inc.

Assembly Maintenance Department

  • Managed, reviewed, and implemented a considerable number of energy-saving kaizen; reduced energy costs by thousands per year.
  • Designed, built, installed, and documented various control systems for the assembly line.
  • Initiated and coordinated a team to build a training test bench using limited available resources.
  • Historian of the Co-op Committee in 2009.
  • Volunteering: Earth Camp.

2009
Engineering Co-op

Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana, Inc.

Plant Engineering Department

  • Created power distribution plans for new equipment installations and wrote scopes of work for implementation.
  • Updated CAD layouts of buildings and electrical distribution networks.
  • Analyzed technical documentation and assessed financial feasibility of a solar air-heating project.
  • Volunteering: Adopt-a-Highway, National Public Lands Day, Wesselman Nature Society's Recycling Day.

2007-2008
Engineering Co-op

The University of Texas at Austin

Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering

  • Officer (2009-2010), Kappa Theta Epsilon: Co-op and Internship Honor Society, 2008.
  • Member, IEEE - Eta Kappa Nu: Electrical and Computer Engineering Honor Society, 2008.
  • Recipient, Texas Space Grant STEM Scholarship, 2010.
  • Recipient, Emerson Process Management Scholarship, 2009.
  • Recipient, Dusty & Doris Duesterhoeft Endowed Presidential Scholarship, 2008.
  • Recipient, National Merit Corporation Special Scholarship sponsored by Halliburton, 2006.

2006-2010
Undergraduate Degree

CompTIA A+ Professional Certification

2004
Certification

My Technical Skills