Catalyst Investors’ portfolio well represented on Inc. 5000 2021
Five Catalyst Investors portfolio companies were featured on the Inc. 5000 2021 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country.
Fast Company | This restaurant tech is actually helping independent eateries survive
The CEO of Catalyst-backed ChowNow, Chris Webb, was featured as one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business 2021.
TechTarget | Conversation intelligence helps ChowNow meet online order demand
Catalyst-backed ChowNow is using RingDNA to automatically surface insights about what works in sales calls to better coach its sales staff.
ChowNow | 100 Million Orders and Counting
Our portfolio company ChowNow recently surpassed 100 million orders. In a crowded space in which most online ordering companies are predatory, taking advantage of small restaurant owners, we are proud to back a company that empowers restaurants and puts them in the driver’s seat, helping them grow their businesses during a trying time for restaurants.
Instagram and ChowNow Team Up to Power Commission-Free Food Orders on Instagram App
Catalyst portfolio company ChowNow is launching new products to support local restaurants during COVID-19. A new Instagram alliance enables restaurants to add “Order Food” buttons to their Instagram profile and Stories, free of charge, providing another way to sustain their businesses in these difficult times.
TechCrunch | Instagram partners with LA’s ChowNow to make food pics and stories shoppable
“During this unprecedented pandemic, ChowNow has mobilized all its resources to help local restaurants survive and ultimately thrive, launching new products and services in record time,” said Chris Webb, CEO of Catalyst-backed ChowNow. “This Instagram feature is yet another valuable tool we’re offering our restaurant partners — at no cost to the restaurants — to help them drive more revenue and boost order volume without suffering the outrageous commissions and fees imposed by other delivery apps.”
Crain’s New York Business | Grubhub competitors now on the menu
Unlike other platforms, Catalyst portfolio company ChowNow tries to help smaller restaurants build their own web presence instead of turning to the aggregators. Restaurants pay ChowNow between $100 and $150 per month to use its software to create branded apps and allow ordering through their websites. Restaurants get a full-service dashboard that lets them control all delivery functions, including hours, zones and fees. Most important, through ChowNow, a restaurant owns its own customer information.
VentureBeat: ChowNow raises $21 million to help restaurants take online orders
ChowNow, whose food-ordering platform makes it easier for local restaurants to accept online orders, has raised $21 million in a series C round of funding from private equity firms 3L Capital and Catalyst Investors.
Startland | LA-based ChowNow hungry for its new Crossroads regional office, KC tech talent
Catalyst-backed ChowNow is opening its first regional office in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District. The LA-based company’s director of recruiting, Candace Taylor, expects roughly 50 jobs to be created in Kansas City over the next year and said hundreds more could follow as the company finds its footing in the midwest.
PYMNTS | ChowNow’s Approach To Mobile Order-Ahead Security
For QSRs, offering mobile order-ahead can be a double-edged sword. While it’s critical to boosting sales, it also comes with the expense of tackling card-not-present fraud. In the new Mobile Order-Ahead Tracker, Chris Webb – CEO of Catalyst Investors-backed ChowNow – explains how ordering platforms can help by viewing customer interactions across restaurants to identify suspicious behavior, and by handling security measures behind the scenes to tackle fraud and reduce friction.