About Us

Founder & General Partner

Chris Maher is a seasoned CEO, advisor, and board member with a proven track record of building venture capital funded companies. Chris has 25 years of experience across diverse sectors of the digital economy including SaaS, AdTech, MarTech, consumer research, and data businesses. Over the years, Chris developed extensive operational expertise across sales, marketing, people management, product, finance, and strategic planning. In addition, he has considerable experience in raising capital and M&A work.

Previously, Chris spent a decade coaching Division I college basketball at several schools including Boston College, Dartmouth College, and Brown University. A coach at heart, Chris has spent the past 30+ years building, mentoring, and leading teams. 

The impetus for starting Samaritan Partners is anchored in Chris’ broad entrepreneurial background and a passionate desire to help those in need or that are facing adversity. Chris and his wife, Stephanie, have raised two beautiful daughters, both of whom live with physical or developmental disabilities. This led the family to get deeply involved with their local school district and community organizations that offer services to enhance the lives of children with disabilities. They have also supported several other family members and close friends navigating life-altering challenges and therefore have dedicated time to raising money and volunteering for various nonprofit organizations.

Chris resides in the New York Metro Area with his wife and two daughters. He holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.A. from Boston College.

Advisors

  • Kathy Behrens

    President, Social Responsibility & Player Programs, NBA

    Kathy oversees all NBA programs that coordinate league and player social responsibility efforts, public service initiatives and community outreach. Prior to joining the NBA, she served as Executive Director of New York Cares. Kathy has extensive Board service experience and is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and NBA China.

  • Ben Levin

    Co-Founder & CEO, Level Equity

    Ben is a co-founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Level Equity, a private investment firm that invests in and acquires outstanding growth businesses. Ben has 25 years of private investment experience and has been an investor in over 50 private businesses since 1997.  Prior to founding Level Equity, he was a Managing Director at Insight Venture Partners.

  • Andrew Walsh

    Founder & CEO, TALL Ventures

    Andrew has spent the past 30 years in venture-backed start-ups as either CEO, advisor, board member or investor. He founded TALL Ventures in 2008 to invest in and advise early to mid-stage companies. He has extensive experience in raising capital, investing capital and M&A work.

Endorsements

  • Andrew Walsh
    Founder, TALL Ventures

    “Chris has the rare combination of strategic thinking, operational execution, and technical understanding. He was a critical member of our executive team in scaling our business and achieving a $250M exit.”

  • Jill Savitt
    CEO, National Center for Civil & Human Rights

    “Chris’ investment approach at Samaritan Partners is a unique combination of the best elements of venture capital, non-profits, entrepreneurship and in the service of programs that focus on advancing human dignity.”

  • Chris Morgan
    President, Montauk Labs Venture Studio

    “Chris taught me the playbook for building a sales team and taking a product to market. I went on to build a $100M revenue sales organization with an $800M exit based on his principles.”

  • Mike Hermus
    Former CTO, U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security

    “I had the good fortune of working for Chris. He has a knack for being able to connect the dots between the commercial and technical sides of a business and the market opportunity.”

  • Tessa Court
    Founder & CEO, IntelligenceBank

    “When I hired Chris to launch our business in North America, we were hoping for a collaborative partner with strong values. Someone who leads by example with humility, empathy and integrity. Chris exceeded our expectations and is a good friend to this day.”

  • Chris White
    Founder & CEO, BondCliQ

    “I have known Chris for 25 years and asked him to join my company’s board because of his experience running VC-backed start-ups. His knowledge, guidance, and operational expertise has been invaluable to me and my team.”

  • Keith Pepper
    Owner & CEO, Rough Draft Atlanta

    “I had the pleasure of working for Chris at two different companies. In addition to his exceptional operational expertise, he has a remarkable ability to hire and develop talent and his management and leadership style is the best that I have experienced.”

  • Susan Fenzl
    Global Director, HR & People Operations, Ret.

    “Chris is a down to earth, empathetic builder and leader of successful teams. I had the honor of working with Chris at an important time in my life. His guidance and support shaped my career trajectory, and I am forever grateful to him for his coaching leadership style and ongoing mentorship.”