# Linxin Wen

> Linxin Wen is the Chicago-based co-founder and CEO of Chowbus. A graduate of Illinois Tech’s public administration program, he began with Asian food delivery and later shifted the company toward restaurant POS and management software. His work focuses on independent, culturally rooted restaurants in the United States and Canada.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Chowbus
- **Organizations:** Chowbus
- **Education:** Bachelor of Economics, Investments, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Master of Public Administration, Illinois Institute of Technology, Stuart School of Business
- **Known for:** Co-founded Chowbus with Suyu Zhang., Led the company’s transition from food delivery to restaurant POS and management software., Chowbus reported $120 million ARR and $4 billion annualized processed transaction volume in March 2026.

## Career timeline

- **2013** — Moved from China to the United States for graduate study in Chicago.
- **2015** — Graduated from Illinois Tech; his own account dates Chowbus’s beginnings to 2015.
- **2016** — Launched the Chowbus app with co-founder Suyu Zhang; the company uses 2016 as its founding year.
- **2021** — Published My Marketplace Strategy: Go Niche with Andreessen Horowitz.
- **2022** — Chowbus launched its initial POS product in March, testing with about a dozen restaurants, according to Wen.
- **2024** — Fantuan acquired Chowbus’s delivery business in January; Chowbus concentrated on restaurant software.
- **2026** — Chowbus announced an $81 million Series E in March and a Maple voice AI partnership in September.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Chowbus with Suyu Zhang.
- Led the company’s transition from food delivery to restaurant POS and management software.
- Chowbus reported $120 million ARR and $4 billion annualized processed transaction volume in March 2026.
- Returned to Illinois Tech as a pitch competition keynote speaker and judge in April 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Chowbus and Maple announced multilingual voice ordering for restaurant merchants in the United States and Canada.
- **2026-05** — Wen and Suyu Zhang presented Chowbus’s AI Digital Worker direction at the company’s summer launch in Chicago.
- **2026-05** — Published A Letter to Future Immigrant Founders after returning to Illinois Tech to address and judge a pitch competition.
- **2026-03** — Chowbus announced an $81 million Series E, bringing its stated total capital raised to $209 million.

## Links

- Website: https://www.chowbus.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linxin-wen-9a982082
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/LinxinWen

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/linxin-wen
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25