# Steve Johnson

> Steve Johnson is the co-founder and CEO of Notable Systems, a Denver-based company using AI, machine learning, and human-in-the-loop review to turn messy healthcare paperwork into clean, usable data. Three decades before that, he co-founded Johnson-Grace, whose patented compression algorithm delivered the first online pictures on America Online in 1993 - a building block of modern streaming media. AOL acquired the company in 1996 and made him a VP running software and technology development; he later founded the personalization pioneer ChoiceStream. In 2025 Notable Systems raised a $12M Series B to push beyond order intake into full revenue cycle automation.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Notable Systems
- **Organizations:** Notable Systems, ChoiceStream, Johnson-Grace Company, America Online (AOL), Mucker Capital
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in Economics, University of Southern California, Master's in Public Policy, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Doctoral program in Economics and Philosophy (until 1990), Harvard University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Johnson-Grace, whose ART compression format enabled the first images on America Online in 1993., Holds a US patent (issued 1999) for image compression technology used by AOL., Sold Johnson-Grace to AOL in 1996 and ran software and technology R&D as a VP.

## Career timeline

- **1991** — Founded Johnson-Grace Company in Newport Beach, California with Chris Grace.
- **1993** — His patented image compression algorithm delivered the first online pictures on America Online.
- **1996** — AOL acquired Johnson-Grace for roughly 1.6 million shares; Johnson became VP of AOL's Software and Technology Development division.
- **1998** — Served as principal technology negotiator in AOL's acquisition of Netscape and led the integration team.
- **1999** — Granted a US patent for the image compression technology used on AOL; left AOL the same era.
- **2000** — Founded ChoiceStream, a personalization and recommendation technology company.
- **2025** — Notable Systems raised a $12M Series B co-led by Harbert Growth Partners and Grotech Ventures.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Johnson-Grace, whose ART compression format enabled the first images on America Online in 1993.
- Holds a US patent (issued 1999) for image compression technology used by AOL.
- Sold Johnson-Grace to AOL in 1996 and ran software and technology R&D as a VP.
- Principal technology negotiator in AOL's 1998 Netscape acquisition and architect of the Sun-AOL iPlanet alliance.
- Founded ChoiceStream, an early leader in content personalization for major media brands.
- Co-founded Notable Systems and raised $27.6M total funding, including a $12M Series B in 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2025-04** — Notable Systems closed a $12M Series B co-led by Harbert Growth Partners and Grotech Ventures, moving beyond order intake into broader revenue cycle automation.
- **2024-07** — Notable Systems raised an $8.8M Series A for automated document processing.

## Links

- Website: https://notablesystems.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevejohnson9
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/notablesystems
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/notablesystems/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/steve-johnson
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-04