Chris Chen

Life Sciences, Healthcare Delivery|New York

Chris Chen joined the Gates Foundation in 2018 as a Principal and was named Partner in 2022. Chris focuses on early-stage biotechnology companies and pharmaceutical volume guarantees, with a particular emphasis on vaccines, small molecules, antibodies, and microbiome therapeutics for infectious diseases. He sees the greatest potential for impact in teams who are developing novel, transformative technologies and who are aligned with the mission of giving every person in the world a chance at a healthy, productive life.  

Chris works on and manages SIF’s investments in BioNTech (BNTX), Exscientia (EXAI), Ensoma, Vedanta Biosciences, Lodo Therapeutics (exited to Zymergen ZY), Sinopharm, Ustar Biotechnologies, and OneLoad, as well as volume guarantees with Sanofi Pasteur, Bio Farma, Dr. Reddy’s, and UNICEF.

Prior to the Gates Foundation, Chris was a Vice President on Bain Capital’s private equity investment team, where he made investments across the healthcare and industrials sectors. Previously, Chris also conducted research and worked in Uganda and Ethiopia. Chris holds an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a B.A. in Ethics, Politics, and Economics from Yale University. 

In his spare time, Chris enjoys playing pick-up basketball, skiing, and spending time with his wife and son.