Chris Kirchner

Kirchner was born in San Francisco, California[1] and studied international marketing at Butler University before moving on to study communications at the University of Kentucky,[2] leaving in 2009 before graduating.[3]

After leaving the University of Kentucky, he started Kirchner Entertainment, an advertising and entertainment company. He later took positions with tech supplier Best Buy until 2015 and then Lexington-based Turner Labels,[2] where he met Raj Patel while working with a Salesforce contact.[3]

In 2017, Kirchner and Patel co-founded the logistics firm Slync.io, where Kirchner served as the company's CEO.[2] Investors in the business included Goldman Sachs and Blumberg Capital, with funding rounds totaling $80m, valuing the company at $240m.[3]

In late 2021, Kirchner was also among several potential bidders for the then financially-troubled English association football club Derby County,[4][5] publicly declaring his interest in November[6] before withdrawing his bid on 24 December 2021.[7] After a failed attempt to buy Championship rivals Preston North End,[8][9] he renewed his interest in Derby County and was confirmed as preferred bidder on 6 April 2022.[10] He again withdrew his bid for the club in June 2022.[11]

In July 2022, a Forbes investigation reported Kirchner had fired Slync.io executives after they raised questions about company funds; he was also facing a lawsuit for wrongful termination and claims of "fraudulent behavior". He was said to have told Slync.io's board that the business had generated close to $30 million in revenue in 2021, from about 20 customers, while the real figures were closer to $1 million from fewer than five customers.[3] Kirchner was first suspended[12] and then fired by Slync.io in August 2022[3][13] after making financial misrepresentations to the company board.[14]

In February 2023, Kirchner's home in Westlake, Texas was raided by the FBI,[15] and he was charged with $20 million wire fraud for transferring company funds into his personal bank account while employed at Slync.io.[16] The US Attorney for the Northern District of Texas alleged Kirchner had used the money to fund a "lavish lifestyle", including a $16m (£13.3m) private Gulfstream jet, a $495,000 (£410,000) luxury suite at a Dallas sports stadium, prestige cars including a Rolls-Royce,[17] and membership of an exclusive Dallas-area golf club called the Vaquero.[12]