Chen Yidan

Chen Yidan — founder profiled in the Chinese Founder Ledger — is documented as follows: co-founded Tencent in 1998 alongside Ma Huateng, Zhang Zhidong, Xu Chenye, and Zeng Liqing, serving as Chief Administrative Officer and later leading Tencent's philanthropic arm, then stepped down as CAO in March 2013 to focus on philanthropy, founding the Chen Yidan Charity Foundation, co-founding Wuhan College in 2009, and establishing the HK$2.5 billion (US$320 million) Yidan Prize in 2016 to recognize education innovators worldwide. The profile is grounded in the 2 sources indexed for this founder.

Chen Yidan's role is documented as: tencent co-founder and former Chief Administrative Officer (stepped down March 2013); Founder of the Yidan Prize Foundation and the Chen Yidan Charity Foundation; Lifetime Honorary Consultant of Tencent and Honorary Chairman of Tencent Charity Foundation The Yidan Prize Foundation's own biography page describes him in present tense as 'Founder, Yidan Prize' and 'Core Founder, Tencent,' also noting he obtained a Singapore Management University doctorate in 2019 and received an honorary doctorate from University College London in 2025 (research date: 2026-08-23).

In 2007, under Chen's leadership, Tencent launched the Tencent Charity Foundation, described by the Yidan Prize Foundation as the first charity foundation in China's internet industry.

Chen Yidan was born in Huizhou, Guangdong, grew up in Shenzhen, and earned a bachelor's in applied chemistry from Shenzhen University (1993), a master's in economic law from Nanjing University (1996), and a Doctor of Business Administration from Singapore Management University (2019).

In 1998, Chen co-founded Tencent alongside Ma Huateng, Zhang Zhidong, Xu Chenye, and Zeng Liqing, serving as the company's Chief Administrative Officer.

Chen stepped down as Tencent's CAO in March 2013 to found the Chen Yidan Charity Foundation, continuing involvement with Tencent as an advisor, sponsor, and honorary chairman of the Tencent Charity Foundation, and later as Lifetime Honorary Consultant.

Chen co-founded Wuhan College in 2009 as a pioneer of non-profit private universities in China, donating RMB 20 million in 2015 to support the college's library construction and reading-material purchases.

In May 2016, Chen founded the Yidan Prize, funded by an independent trust of HK$2.5 billion (US$320 million), to recognize innovators who have made significant contributions to education; in 2018, he donated his Tencent shares to set up a charitable trust further supporting education development.

He is described by the Yidan Prize Foundation as the 'Father of Internet Philanthropy' and ranked top of the 13th China Charity Ranking in 2016 and as China's top philanthropist on the 2017 Forbes China Philanthropist list.

Co-founded Tencent in 1998 and served as Chief Administrative Officer, later launching the Tencent Charity Foundation in 2007.

Stepped down as Tencent CAO in March 2013 to dedicate himself full-time to philanthropy, founding the Chen Yidan Charity Foundation and later the Yidan Prize (2016).

Chen established Wuhan College, the Chen Yidan Charity Foundation, and the HK$2.5 billion Yidan Prize, and was recognized as China's top philanthropist in national rankings, while retaining honorary ties to Tencent's charity arm.