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Chris Evans is an award-winning entrepreneur, speaker, teacher, and author. He previously served as Founder and CEO of several successful high-tech ventures including DaVinci Systems and Accipiter and currently serves as CEO of the Deepwood group and is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence with the Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network where he advises other entrepreneurs in the Research Triangle.

In September of 2012, Evans published Fruit at Work through Lanphier Press, a book describing how the traditional Christian virtues known as the Fruits of the Spirit are also highly valuable traits in the workplace.

Early Life And Career
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., Evans attended NC State University in the electrical engineering program where he co-founded Davinci systems with several of his classmates out of their dorm rooms and served as VP Marketing, Executive VP, and Board Member. Davinci eMail was the first e-mail product for Microsoft Windows and received awards from PC Magazine, PC Week, and Info World. When it was acquired in 1994 by ONTechnology, DaVinci had grown its installed base to three million users in 45 countries.

Following his exit from Davinci, Evans founded Hotlinx, which published print and online buyers guides in the client server space. Hotlinx, which ran from 1992-1996 was acquired by private investors.

Accipiter
When transitioning Hotlinx from print to online distribution, Evans was inspired by the difficulty of rotating online ads and the lack of an automated solution. The idea would form the basis of Accipter which provided one of the first software products that delivered and tracked banner ads. Founded by Evans in 1996, and fueled by venture capital from local firms, Intersouth, Aurora and Southeast Interactive, the Accipiter platform was used by Lycos, across Microsoft’s entire web presence, Broadcast.com, the BBC, Altavista, CNET, and the NHL.

In just two years, Accipiter was acquired by CMGI in exchange for stock in 1998 and merged with their Engage Technologies holding which subsequently conducted a successful IPO months later. The sale of Accipiter was a significant accomplishment for the entrepreneurial ecosystem in North Carolina and Evans was named Business Leader’s Entrepreneur of the year and Earnst and Young’s Master Entrepreneur the same year.

Post-Accipiter Life
Evans continues to life in the Triangle with his wife and two children. He stays involved with entrepreneurship in the Triangle through founding the Deepwood Group which researches market opportunities and consults with emerging organizations, and speaking engagements and through working with the Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence. Evans is also involved with board service, having served on non-profit boards including Trinity Forum, The D.O.O.R., and Trinity Academy of Raleigh, as well as other public service. Evans also teaches a course at Trinity Academy of Raleigh. In 2011, Evans gave a TED Talk on his semi-professional hobby of sand sculpting.

Fruit At Work
In September of 2012, Evans released Fruit at Work. Based in part on Evans' professional life experiences and his personal study being Christian in the workplace, the book examines how the Christian Fruit of the Holy Spirit can be implemented sustainably into professional life in part to foster better relationships and overcome challenges. A study guide has been announced.