Valve’s Gabe Newell invests in the next hot thing: your dinner, via cooking startup ChefSteps

Valve Software founder Gabe Newell, one of the most influential people in the video game industry and the king of the Steam digital distribution network, has invested in a cooking startup.

Geekwire reports that Newell invested in high-tech cooking startup ChefSteps, a Seattle startup that Chris Young and Grant Crilly lead. Both previously worked with Nathan Myhrvold, the former chief technology officer at Microsoft, on his Modernist Cuisine cookbook. Myhrvold is a big fan of the temperature-controlled water-cooking method known as sous vide.

Unlock premium content and VIP community perks with GB M A X! Join now to enjoy our free and premium perks. 

Join now →

Sign in to your account.

Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.