Chris Franz is the Founder and CEO of Paper Boat Systems, a technology company serving mission-critical operators across highly regulated industries including aerospace, energy, finance, healthcare, and government. With over 20 years of experience building and scaling high-technology, high-growth companies, Chris has founded more than 10 startups across emerging technology, data analytics, SaaS, data center systems, and complex systems—funded through venture capital, angel investors, and bootstrapping. He has managed technology organizations with budgets ranging from near zero to $3.5B.
Beyond PBS, Chris remains a respected mentor, board member, and champion of Colorado's startup ecosystem. He has managed multiple investment funds focused on Colorado startups and served on the boards of Startup Colorado, Peak Startup, and numerous other startup and nonprofit organizations driving economic opportunity and entrepreneurial growth. Chris holds a Master's degree from Stanford University and a Bachelor's from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He is passionate about leveraging startups and technology to drive innovation, economic opportunity, and diversity—and he loves Colorado.