Chris Brown

Head of Business Development & Marketing

Chris Brown is a passionate experiential aficionado with a longtime love for lifestyle specific live events and activities. Chris has a unique combination of experience in finance, strategy and operational roles in consumer facing businesses. Prior to starting his own firm, Backline Partners, in 2015, he was a senior member of the founding team and helped concept and manage a large-scale music festival in Southern California.  Prior to the festival, he started Gart Capital Partners (GCP) in 2006, in partnership with the Gart Family, where he directly oversaw a number of portfolio company investments and also lead the firm’s business development efforts. Over eight years at GCP, Chris sourced hundreds of consumer and retail deals and was involved in many transactions, including Breeze Ski Rentals, Magellan’s Travel Supplies, Swoozie’s and Running Specialty Group.  Chris also worked for Petrie Parkman, a boutique investment bank focused on the energy/oil and gas industry, as a Vice President of Institutional Sales from 2002 through mid 2006. He was responsible for generating revenue for the firm by establishing relationships with buy-side institutional investment managers, and supporting their investment interests in the energy industry. Earlier in his career, Chris worked as an associate for myCFO, a Silicon Valley wealth management startup as well as investment bank Morgan Stanley, as an analyst. Chris holds a BA in sociology from Princeton University where he was a member of three Division 1 National Championship lacrosse teams (1994, 1996 and 1997).