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 spends much of his time on philanthropy, particularly efforts to address wealth inequality. His next book will focus on wealth inequality and is scheduled for release in February 2026. At the same time, he plans to launch a charitable organization connected to this work. 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 performance. The college emphasizes studies 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, coordinating between product and operations teams to ensure smooth collaboration. Chris Kelly later held a product marketing role within an enterprise-focused division, working closely with developer-focused teams to support technology adoption across organizations. In 2010, Chris Kelly, NextGen Leads, 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 twelve-year tenure as CEO and later chairman, he led the company to become one of the largest privately held businesses in its space.