Chris Gabrieli
Co-Founder and Chairman, Massachusetts 2020
Chris Gabrieli
Chris Gabrieli is an entrepreneur across the fields of business, nonprofits and public policy.
Following the success of GMIS, the healthcare software company he co-founded, Chris joined Bessemer Venture Partners. Throughout his 15 years as a partner with Bessemer, Chris has worked to help other entrepreneurs start and grow their companies. Chris's firm has invested over $1 billion in start-up high-tech and biotechnology companies, helping to create more than 100,000 new jobs. Chris remains active as a Senior Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, focused on biotechnology.
Chris is a committed participant in the civic life of Boston and Massachusetts. In 2000, he co-founded Massachusetts 2020, an educational nonprofit focused on expanding the economic and educational opportunities for children families across Massachusetts. He was the Founder and Chairman of Boston's After-School for All Partnership, a $26 million collaboration of the City of Boston and twelve foundations, universities and corporations, aimed at expanding and improving after-school opportunities for children. Due in large part to the Partnership's work, Boston has doubled the rate of participation of children in after-school programs. Chris now serves as Chairman of Boston After School & Beyond, the permanent public-private partnership aimed at the same goals.
He also currently serves as Chairman of Massachusetts 2020, which leads Massachusetts's first-in-the-nation initiative to redesign and expand learning time at public schools. In September 2006, ten public schools in five districts with 4,700 students became the pioneers of this work, adding about two hours per day to school schedules for all students. The additional time allows for more academics, more individualized and small group instruction and tutoring, time for enrichment in arts, music, drama and sports, and more time for teachers for common planning time and professional development. There are currently an additional 84 schools in 27 districts with about 45,000 more students planning to implement expanded learning time under the state-funded program in the fall of 2007 and the fall of 2008.
In addition to his work at Massachusetts 2020, Chris has served on numerous civic and university boards in Massachusetts. In 2002, he won the Democratic primary for Lt. Governor and he came in second in the Democratic primary for Governor of Massachusetts in 2006. Chris and his wife Hilary live in Boston with their five children.