Chipotle launches $50M venture fund in bid to foster new restaurant tech

In a bid to position its brand as more tech-forward — and, in the process, foster new culinary innovations — Chipotle today announced the launch of Cultivate Next, a venture fund run by Curt Garner, the restaurant chain’s chief technology officer. Chipotle says that Cultivate Next, which will be financed solely by Chipotle to start, will offer a tranche of $50 million and focus on tech companies in the “seed to Series B” stages. READ MORE