Chris Kelly

Chris Kelly, San Francisco, is an entrepreneur and author who founded his first online advertising business in 2010 and later built a technology-forward, customer-centered platform for insurance agents. He is also the author of a science fiction novel titled The Menagerie and now concentrates much of his work on philanthropy, focusing on wealth inequality. His next book will address wealth inequality and is scheduled for release in February 2026. At that time, he also plans to launch a charitable organization connected to this effort. Chris grew up in Santa Cruz, California, and later attended a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California, a suburban city in eastern Los Angeles County. He graduated magna cum laude and was elected to an academic honor society for his academic excellence. The college emphasizes coursework in government, economics, public affairs, finance, and international relations. He began his professional career as an investment banker before moving into the technology sector, where he held product and marketing roles. He worked as a product specialist, serving as a liaison between the product and operations teams to facilitate coordination. Kelly later had a product marketing role within an enterprise-focused division, working closely with internal teams to support the adoption of technology across organizations. In 2010, he founded a San Francisco–based online advertising agency that scaled significantly. In 2014, he founded another company that became the number-one provider of digital marketing solutions for under-65 health insurance in the United States, a major participant in over-65 health coverage, and a growing presence in auto and home insurance. During his 12-year tenure as CEO and later as chairman, he helped guide the company to become one of the largest privately held businesses in its field. He authored The Menagerie, a science fiction thriller centered on the creation of the world’s first artificial general intelligence and the consequences that follow, exploring innovation, power, and moral responsibility. He gives monthly to charitable organizations focused on direct poverty relief and children’s medical care. These causes are personal, as he is a cancer survivor who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and underwent treatment in 2020 for a year. Chris Kelly, NextGen Leads, is preparing to launch a nonprofit foundation and plans to donate $1.5 million to charity in the first half of 2026. He has two boys, ages 7 and 3, and values time with family, music, outdoor activities, and maintaining a balanced life.