Theodore Xenohristos
About Theodore Xenohristos
Theodore (Ted) Xenohristos is a co-founder of CAVA, the Mediterranean restaurant company. CAVA's investor site says he created and led the original Cava Mezze full-service restaurants and the company's packaged dips and spreads business. Wikipedia dates the first Cava Mezze restaurant to 2006 in Rockville, Maryland.
In 2010 he and his co-founders developed the CAVA fast-casual format. The company says it grew from a single location into a national chain. He was named Chief Concept Officer in 2018 and sits on the board of CAVA Group, which trades on the NYSE as CAVA. Crunchbase lists him as based in Rockville, Maryland. His LinkedIn profile lists the University of Maryland, College Park for education.
Public records of his angel investing are thin. Crunchbase lists one personal investment, in Proxy Foods, and three organizations he founded. No fund, syndicate or angel group is listed for him. He appears to invest alongside his CAVA co-founders and other individual backers rather than as a professional investor.
His one documented AI investment is Proxy Foods, a Washington, D.C. company that builds an AI platform for food and beverage recipe formulation. FoodNavigator reported that he took part in its 2024 round, which raised $2.3 million. He was listed there as CAVA co-founder and Chief Concept Officer. He also appears among the investors in the company's $6 million seed round announced in August 2026, which Ted Leonsis led.
Proxy Foods describes its customers as CPG brands, foodservice operators and ingredient companies. Its investor list also includes CAVA co-founders Ike Grigoropoulos and Dimitri Moshovitis.
Too little is public to define a thesis. His only listed investments are in an early-stage AI company serving food and beverage, a field close to his restaurant and culinary work. He has not publicly stated a check size, preferred stage or geography that we could find.
- Proxy Foods: AI platform for food and beverage recipe formulation. He took part in its 2024 $2.3M round and its $6M seed announced in August 2026.
- crunchbase.com/person/theodore-xenohristos
- investor.cava.com/governance/board-of-directors/person-details/default
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cava_Group
- foodnavigator.com/Article/2024/03/22/Proxy-Foods-raises-2.3m-to-grow-A
- thesaasnews.com/news/proxy-foods-ai-raises-6m-seed
- cbinsights.com/company/proxy-foods
- linkedin.com/in/ted-xenohristos-054bb515
Investing activity
Theodore Xenohristos appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $6M. The most recent is Proxy Foods (Seed, $6M, Aug 2026).
Theodore Xenohristos most often invests alongside Ted Leonsis, SWaN & Legend Venture Partners, Robert G. Hisaoka and Roger Ferguson, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Theodore Xenohristos
Who is Theodore Xenohristos?
He is a co-founder, director and Chief Concept Officer of CAVA Group, the Mediterranean restaurant company. He also invests personally in startups, including Proxy Foods.
Has Theodore Xenohristos invested in AI startups?
Yes. He is listed as an investor in Proxy Foods, an AI food and beverage formulation platform. He took part in its $2.3M round in 2024 and its $6M seed announced in August 2026.
What is Theodore Xenohristos's check size?
It is not public. We found no statement from him or reported figure for his individual checks.
What stage and sectors does Theodore Xenohristos back?
His only documented investments are seed-stage rounds in Proxy Foods, an AI company in food and beverage. He has not published a broader investment thesis.
Should AI founders pitch Theodore Xenohristos?
The public record suggests his interest is in AI applied to food, restaurants and consumer products, where his CAVA experience applies. Founders in other sectors should expect less relevance, since he has no listed investments outside Proxy Foods.
How can I contact Theodore Xenohristos?
He has a public LinkedIn profile under the name Ted Xenohristos. We found no personal website or X account.
Is Theodore Xenohristos an angel investor?
Yes. Theodore Xenohristos invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Theodore Xenohristos invested in?
Theodore Xenohristos's AI investments include Proxy Foods. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Theodore Xenohristos invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Theodore Xenohristos has invested at Seed, with a median round of $6M.
Who does Theodore Xenohristos co-invest with?
Theodore Xenohristos's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Ted Leonsis (1 deal), SWaN & Legend Venture Partners (1 deal), Robert G. Hisaoka (1 deal), Roger Ferguson (1 deal) and Jeff Skoll (1 deal).