Built by Technologists,
We started with deep respect for restaurant craftsmanship and hospitality traditions, then applied world-class AI technology to amplify what makes great restaurants special—rather than replacing it with robotic efficiency.
The result:
Technology that feels like it was designed by someone who's been in your shoes, because it was. Every feature reflects real operational understanding, every interaction preserves authentic hospitality, and every outcome supports the relationships that make restaurants more than just food businesses.
Our commitment:
Restaurant AI that enhances human connection instead of eliminating it, supports operational excellence instead of disrupting it, and grows revenue while preserving the character that makes each restaurant unique.
This isn't just our business philosophy. It's how we've built every line of code, trained every AI model, and designed every customer interaction.
Meet the team behind Palona
Maria Zhang
CEO & Co-founder
Former VP of Engineering at Google, VP/GM of the AI for Products group at Meta, and CTO of Tinder. Maria also founded Alike, acquired by Yahoo in 2013
Tim Howes
CTO & Co-founder
Co-Inventor of LDAP, the internet directory protocol. Co-founder of LoudCloud and OpsWare (sold to HP in 2007 for $1.65B). Former CTO at Netscape and HP Software. Rockmelt Co-Founder and CTO. Most recently led Developer Productivity at Meta AI Infrastructure.
Kelvin Ren
Head of Engineering & Co-founder
Former Senior Software Engineer at Google, LinkedIn, Co-Founder & CTO of LYRobotix. Series entrepreneur.
Steve Liu
Chief Scientist & Co-founder
Former Chief Scientist at Samsung AI Center and Tinder. Tenured professor at McGill University; Associate Academic Member at MILA; Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering; Fellow of the IEEE; Chair of ACM SIGBED. Steve authored/co-authored over 390 papers in top referenced computer science publications.
Collectively, our team have created…
8
Companies
400+
Papers
60+
Patents
Your hospitality deserves technology that gets it. Let's capture every opportunity your excellence creates without adding chaos to your family.
Hungry for a New Challenge?
Our team is growing! If you are interested in joining us to advance the AI technology, accelerate the adoption and deliver impact to many businesses and customers, come talk to us.
