Christopher Webb

Founder and Chairman @ ChowNow

📍 Los Angeles, California, United States🔄 Updated September 2026💼 2 investments📅 20 years investing🗓 Last invested Jun 2013𝕏 @upgrade_to_unlock
VC🌍 United States
2
Total investments
1
Early stage
1
Mid stage
0
Late stage
20y
Years active

Portfolio

2 investments · sorted by recency
All investments
Early stage
Mid stage
Late stage
Investor
Jun 2013
The world’s most innovative lenders rely on ZestFinance to do more profitable lending through machine learning. Our Zest Automated Machine Learning (ZAML™) software is the only solution for explainable AI in credit, and we automate risk management so our customers can focus on lending safely to more people. Our mission is to make fair and transparent credit available to everyone, and we thrive on solving hard problems that have a big impact on people's daily lives. Applying Google-like math to improve credit decisions, we use machine learning and data science to help companies make more accurate credit decisions. The company was founded in 2009 by Douglas Merrill, who was formerly CIO at Google. Currently, ZestFinance is one of the fastest growing U.S. financial technology startups. We built ZAML to accelerate our mission by powering credit and underwriting at global financial firms. ZAML consumes vast amounts of data to more accurately identify good borrowers, enabling higher repayment rates for lenders and lower-cost credit for consumers. ZestFinance is determined to hire crazy smart people who are different from each other to create broad thinking, lots of different ideas, and by extension, build the best team possible. We’re growing fast, and we’re looking for exceptional, caring, “Zesty” people to join our team. Our culture is special to us, and we’re proud of it. We thrive on diversity in our workplace, and we offer awesome benefits. If you want to solve hard problems and make people’s lives better, talk to us!
Founding Investor
Aug 2006
Tender Greens is a group of restaurants where super talented chefs get to run each kitchen like their own—and that’s why we call it a chef’s kitchen. It’s the kind of comfort food chefs love to cook for themselves and their families, for far less than you would expect.
early stageRestaurants
Experience · 5 entries
All (5)
Investments (2)
Founder (1)
2013
Investor
Jun 2013
The world’s most innovative lenders rely on ZestFinance to do more profitable lending through machine learning. Our Zest Automated Machine Learning (ZAML™) software is the only solution for explainable AI in credit, and we automate risk management so our customers can focus on lending safely to more people. Our mission is to make fair and transparent credit available to everyone, and we thrive on solving hard problems that have a big impact on people's daily lives. Applying Google-like math to improve credit decisions, we use machine learning and data science to help companies make more accurate credit decisions. The company was founded in 2009 by Douglas Merrill, who was formerly CIO at Google. Currently, ZestFinance is one of the fastest growing U.S. financial technology startups. We built ZAML to accelerate our mission by powering credit and underwriting at global financial firms. ZAML consumes vast amounts of data to more accurately identify good borrowers, enabling higher repayment rates for lenders and lower-cost credit for consumers. ZestFinance is determined to hire crazy smart people who are different from each other to create broad thinking, lots of different ideas, and by extension, build the best team possible. We’re growing fast, and we’re looking for exceptional, caring, “Zesty” people to join our team. Our culture is special to us, and we’re proud of it. We thrive on diversity in our workplace, and we offer awesome benefits. If you want to solve hard problems and make people’s lives better, talk to us!
2010
CEO / Co-Founder
Nov 2010
ChowNow powers online ordering systems for independent restaurants via restaurants’ own websites, Facebook and Google pages, apps, and ChowNow’s website. ChowNow consolidates 1st and 3rd party ordering into one central hub so restaurant owners dont have to juggle multiple tablets. We do all of this without the predatory third-party commissions charged by the other guys.
2008
Equity Trader
2008
RBC Capital Markets is recognized by the most significant corporations, institutional investors, asset managers, private equity firms, and governments around the globe as an innovative, trusted partner with an in-depth expertise in capital markets, banking, and finance. We are well-established in the largest, most mature capital markets across North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region, which collectively encompass more than 75% of global investment banking activity each year. We are part of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), a leading, diversified provider of financial services and one of the strongest banks globally. Founded in 1864, RBC is the 10th largest bank worldwide and the 5th in North America, as measured by market capitalization. RBC is among a small group of highly rated global banks and is recognized time and time again for its financial strength, market leadership and philanthropic work. For information on our legal terms of use visit https://www.rbccm.com/en/policies-disclaimers.page http://www.rbc.com/legal/
2006
Founding Investor
Aug 2006
Tender Greens is a group of restaurants where super talented chefs get to run each kitchen like their own—and that’s why we call it a chef’s kitchen. It’s the kind of comfort food chefs love to cook for themselves and their families, for far less than you would expect.
early stageRestaurants
2005
Associate
2005
Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (Pink Sheets: LEHMQ, former NYSE ticker symbol LEH) (pronounced /ˈliːmən/) was a global financial-services firm which, until declaring bankruptcy in 2008, participated in business in investment banking, equity and fixed-income sales, research and trading, investment management, private equity, and private banking. It was a primary dealer in the U.S. Treasury securities market. Its primary subsidiaries included Lehman Brothers Inc., Neuberger Berman Inc., Aurora Loan Services, Inc., SIB Mortgage Corporation, Lehman Brothers Bank, FSB, Eagle Energy Partners, and the Crossroads Group. The firms worldwide headquarters were in New York City, with regional headquarters in London and Tokyo, as well as offices located throughout the world.