August Chen
| August Chen | |
| Born | August Sun Chen |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Entrepreneur, software executive |
| Known for | Co-founder and CEO of Hazel |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
August Sun Chen is an American entrepreneur and the co-founder and chief executive officer of Hazel, a New York City-based technology company that develops artificial intelligence-powered procurement software for U.S. government agencies. Hazel was part of the Y Combinator Winter 2024 batch.[1]
Early life and education
Chen graduated from Harvard University.[1] Following his studies, he worked at Palantir Technologies before co-founding Hazel.[1] His professional background prior to founding Hazel spanned sales, business development, and account management.
Career
Chen co-founded Hazel, a New York City-based company that builds AI-enabled procurement tools for state, local, and federal government agencies in the United States. The company's software automates multiple stages of the public procurement process, including requirements generation, market research, solicitation drafting, and proposal evaluation. Hazel's platform allows agencies to generate complete request for proposal (RFP), request for quotation (RFQ), and request for bid (RFB) documents using an agency's own templates, policies, and past awards.[2]
Hazel participated in Y Combinator's Winter 2024 cohort and operates at the intersection of government technology (GovTech), procurement, and artificial intelligence.[1] The company has positioned itself within a growing debate over how AI tools can be applied to government acquisition processes, which have historically been slow, paper-intensive, and prone to compliance risk. Chen has argued publicly that the core challenge for AI-assisted acquisitions is not automation alone but ensuring that agencies share sufficient data to train and validate procurement models effectively.[3]
Chen has spoken publicly about the structural inefficiencies in public procurement and the role AI can play in addressing them. In commentary covered by industry media, he described government procurement as a domain where AI has the potential to reduce cycle times and improve consistency across solicitation documents, while noting that adoption requires agencies to modernize their data practices alongside deploying new software tools.[3][4]
According to the company's website, Hazel's clients include agencies at multiple levels of government. Notable users listed on the site include the City of Dallas, the City of Atlanta, PhilaPort (the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority), and the United States Air Force. The company states it has supported over $2.5 billion in procurement and serves more than ten clients across state, local, and federal government.[2]
Outside of his work at Hazel, Chen has volunteered as a sophomore mentor with Minds Matter NYC, a nonprofit organization focused on helping students from low-income families gain access to higher education and academic resources.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Hazel – Y Combinator". 'Y Combinator}'. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Hazel AI – AI for Government Procurement". 'Hazel AI}'. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "AI-Assisted Acquisitions Demand Data Sharing". 'National Defense Magazine}'. 2026-01-05. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
- ↑ "CxC Ep19: Can AI Save Government Procurement From Itself?". 'CodeStrap}'. Retrieved 2026-03-18.