YouTube co-founder creates ‘food lovers video net’

YouTube co-founder Steve Chen has launched a live, interactive video platform aimed at food lovers, called Nom.

Chen and former engineering lead for YouTube Vijay Karunamurthy founded the service, which is designed to let users direct, produce and host their own food shows.

“Nom is a place for food lovers,” said Chen. If you’ve ever snapped a picture of your dinner, Nom is for you. If you have a food blog and want toconnect with a bigger audience, Nom is for you. If a restaurant kitchen is your office, Nom is for you.”

The service has received US$4.7 million in Series A funding, including support from Blue Run Ventures, WI Harper Group, Khosla Ventures and SV Angel, and personal investments from YouTube singer PSY, actor Jared Leto and American restaurateur Ming Tsai.

Viewers can ask questions through different Nom channels and learn from chefs, baristas, bloggers, ‘brewmasters’ and ‘grillmasters’, according to the company. Three-star Michelin chef Corey Lee, an investor in the business, and sommelier Yoon Ha of Benu in San Francisco are among the personalities that will launch channels on the service.

“Collaboration is key for us at Nom. We worked with an incredible group of chefs, makers, and creators to build the site and app they would want to reach an audience live,” said Karunamurthy.

“Now any creative team can produce their own show. We’re seeing people use Nom for coffee tastings, cooking demos, and live coverage of pop-up experiences.”

Nom is live now and the Nom app is available to download from the Apple App Store. Chen will demo the service at next week’s SXSW conference in Austin, Texas.