Rob Frohwein

Overview

I'm Rob Frohwein, also known as Robert Frohwein. I co-founded Kabbage, which was acquired by American Express. These days I'm building Quest and writing The Expert Novice.

Quest started with my own card collection. I wanted a better way to keep track of what I have and share it with other collectors. The Expert Novice is where I write about building with AI without pretending to be a technical expert.

There is more about my earlier work below, including patents, books and interviews.

Now

Quest is a place for collectors to photograph and identify cards, keep them together, and arrange them for others to see. I'm building it because I collect too.

Writing

The Expert Novice is my Substack about trying to build something new with AI. Start with Becoming an Expert Novice. I also post on LinkedIn.

Kabbage

In 2008, Frohwein recognized that companies like eBay were offering automated access to small business transaction data via APIs. He co-founded Kabbage in Atlanta, Georgia, along with Kathryn Petralia and Marc Gorlin, to leverage real-time data automation for small business lending.

Kabbage developed a fully automated, data-driven platform that handled origination, underwriting, and business monitoring. The company served approximately 500,000 small businesses and originated over $16 billion in working capital. Kabbage raised over $400 million in equity from investors including SoftBank, Thomvest Ventures, and Reverence Capital Partners, reaching a $1.2 billion valuation in 2017.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kabbage became the second-largest Paycheck Protection Program lender, approving approximately 300,000 PPP applications totaling more than $7 billion. American Express acquired Kabbage's team, technology, and intellectual property in October 2020. Frohwein served as Co-Founder, CEO, and Board Chair from 2008 through 2021, and as Senior Vice President at American Express during the post-acquisition integration.

Intellectual Property & Patents

Frohwein is the listed inventor on 25 U.S. patents spanning automated lending, data-driven underwriting, dynamic payment systems, machine learning classification, optical recognition for transaction verification, and conferencing technology. Selected issued patents:

• Apparatus to Provide Funds in the Online Auction EnvironmentUS 12,106,362 · Oct 2024
• Dynamic payments in an open networkUS 12,100,043 · Sep 2024
• Apparatus to Provide Liquid Funds in the Online Auction EnvironmentUS 11,983,767 · May 2024
• System to Automatically CategorizeUS 11,900,475 · Feb 2024
• Enabling an Instantaneous InstrumentUS 11,861,592 · Jan 2024
• Distributed system to enable dynamic, on-demand sales forceUS 11,574,330 · Feb 2023
• System to Automatically CategorizeUS 11,250,517 · Feb 2022
• Optical recognition to detect transaction inconsistencyUS 10,769,637 · Sep 2020
• Operate different widgets from a single widget controllerUS 10,712,894 · Jul 2020
• Liquid funds in the online auction and marketplace environmentUS 10,592,975 · Mar 2020
• Evaluate and provide funds in online environmentsUS 10,540,713 (Jan 2020) · US 10,430,873 (Oct 2019) · US 10,255,632 (Apr 2019)
• Operate different widgets from a single widget controllerUS 9,720,554 · Aug 2017
• Customizing participant information in an online conferenceUS 9,485,284 · Nov 2016
• Location-aware conferencing with graphical representationsUS 9,419,810 · Aug 2016
• Selectively reviewing a recorded conferenceUS 9,112,980 · Aug 2015
• Record and playback in a conferenceUS 9,106,794 · Aug 2015
• Liquid funds in the online auction and marketplace environmentUS 8,073,744 (Dec 2011) · US 7,983,951 (Jul 2011)
• Financial instruments to customers of a service providerUS 7,600,675 · Oct 2009

Full portfolio: Justia Patents · Google Scholar

Publications

• The Pocket Idiot's Guide to PatentsPenguin/Putnam · October 2004
• The Pocket Idiot's Guide to TrademarksPenguin/Putnam · October 2004
• The Pocket Idiot's Guide to CopyrightsPenguin/Putnam · October 2004

Ventures & Career

Following the Kabbage acquisition, Frohwein co-founded Keep Financial Technologies, a compensation platform enabling employers to leverage Vesting Cash Plans for recruiting and retention. Keep was backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Thomvest Ventures, and others, and was sold to Apprenta (Washington, DC) in 2025.

Frohwein founded LAVA Group, Inc. (2001–2011), one of the world's first intellectual property investment banks. LAVA Group assisted companies in buying, selling, and licensing intellectual property and provided strategic IP advisory services, facilitating over $100 million in IP transactions.

Earlier ventures include Surgical Biologics LLC (founding board member; merged with MiMedX Group, which grew from a $70 million market value to over $1 billion), TransMend I2, Inc. (Chairman; SaaS company focused on internet intelligence, sold in 2008), U.S. Micro Corporation (acquired by Arrow Electronics, NYSE: ARW), and The Vera Company (board member; sold in 2013).

Frohwein also founded Smith Risley Tempel Santos LLC (formerly Sentry Law Group), a firm focused on IP prosecution, litigation, and technology transactions. He began his career as a Staff Consultant at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), practiced corporate and intellectual property law at Troutman Sanders LLP, and served as VP of Business Development and General Counsel at Security First Network Bank, the world's first internet bank.

Strategic Advisory & Investment

Since 2011, Frohwein has served as a strategic advisor and investor to technology companies including Oscilar, SentiLink, GroundNews, PayStand, Giotto.ai, SOLO, PayStandards, SoBanHang, and StimLabs.

Recognition

Media & Interviews

Profiles

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/frohwein
• Crunchbasecrunchbase.com
• Bloombergbloomberg.com
• Patent Portfolio (Justia)patents.justia.com
• Articles by Rob FrohweinEntrepreneur.com
• X (Twitter)@RobFrohwein
• eChai Ventures Speaker Profileechai.ventures
• Robert Frohwein BiographyBanco Santander
• Mediummedium.com/@robfrohwein
• The Expert Novice on Substackrobfrohwein.substack.com
• Questcollect.quest

Contact

For inquiries, connect via LinkedIn.