Chunyu Chen

Chunyu Chen (also known as Brandon) is a 25-year-old founder and CEO of Intent, an AI-native instant-messaging startup positioning itself as a next-generation challenger to WeChat . He has made eight attempts at building an IM product, with the first seven failing, and launched the Intent app (intent.app) in late 2025 with backing from several veteran internet entrepreneurs and investors . His early career included contracts with Baidu and Tsinghua University for platform development work while he was based in the United States . Chen dropped out to pursue entrepreneurship, and in a 十字路口Crossing interview framed his philosophy as solving real user problems without worrying about external judgment .