Ben Grossman ’17 had his sights set on starting a company back when he was still in GA Middle School. Today, he’s the co-founder and CEO of KANU—an innovative platform that empowers aspiring student entrepreneurs through experiential learning and user-friendly tools for business creation and teaching. The platform has helped thousands of students launch real businesses and partners with schools across the country to reimagine entrepreneurial education.

He recently returned to campus to speak with current Middle and Upper School students at the 3rd Annual Entrepreneurship Symposium, where he shared what he’s learned about building something from scratch. In a session designed to give students space to test ideas and take risks, participants got hands-on with KANU’s approach—working through how to take a business idea from concept to action using the platform’s guided tools for ideation, planning, and execution.

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An Early Start At Entrepreneurship

Grossman says business was just “in the air” growing up—especially around the dinner table.

“We’d play this game where someone would toss out a problem, and the rest of us had to come up with an invention to solve it. Little did I know how much that stuck with me—it trained me to think creatively and look for opportunities in everyday stuff.”

One moment that really stayed with him was sparked by a car ride.

“My mom came back to the car one day holding this coffee-cup-shaped tissue box she found at a store—designed to fit perfectly into a cupholder. She was so excited. She said, ‘This person probably made a fortune on this! Isn’t that amazing? Sometimes it can really be that simple.’
I remember thinking, Whoa… someone turned that tiny inconvenience into a product—and it worked. I was mesmerized.”

When he transferred to GA in 7th grade, Grossman found new ways to express that same creative energy. He joined the GA/PW Student Coalition—a collaboration with Plymouth Whitemarsh High School that focused on social impact, mental health awareness, and wellness campaigns.

“That club was my first experience at a boardroom table—trying to figure out how to communicate a message and measure if it actually landed,” he said.
“I made an Instagram account and built out all the promo stuff for our campaigns. I loved the creative hustle of it. GA really gave me space to follow that curiosity.”

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Developing KANU

Despite a strong foundation at GA, Grossman hit a wall when he got to college.

“It was a rude awakening,” he said. “There were no Harkness tables, no discussion—just 150 people in a lecture hall. I felt like a ghost.”

He sat through lectures feeling disengaged, struggling to connect theory with practice, and even questioning whether college was the right path.

“The idea of dropping out crossed my mind,” he admitted. “But honestly, I was probably more afraid of how my parents would react than anything else.”

Instead of walking away, he got curious. A mentor told him: You can wait for the curriculum to engage you—or you can engage the curriculum. That line stuck.

“I didn’t want to just learn about business—I wanted to do business,” Grossman said. “So I started four ventures in my first semester. A couple totally flopped—like the Shopify store selling phone cases I abandoned after two weeks. But each one taught me something.”

Still, something felt off.

“I was putting in real work, learning by doing—but none of that showed up on my transcript. That disconnect bugged me. If this is how I was actually learning, why wasn’t it part of my education?”

That question sparked what would become KANU. Grossman started building a platform for students like himself—who wanted their learning to count, literally and figuratively. He set out to solve the problem he was living: how to make education more relevant, more hands-on, and more connected to real outcomes.

Today, KANU helps schools scale experiential learning through business-building tools and teaching resources. The platform serves around 54 colleges and technical programs and has supported over 3,000 students in launching their own ventures.

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Fond Memories of GA

Grossman swam, played water polo, competed on the chess team, and served as the Osbourn House Prefect—but many of his favorite memories took place around the pool.

“I say ‘around’ the pool intentionally,” he joked. “I wasn’t the strongest swimmer, but that’s where I made my closest friends and best memories.”

At the time, GA’s water polo program was still relatively new, and the team was figuring things out together. A few years in, they hit a major milestone: beating rival PC.

“The game was neck and neck the whole time,” he said. “Even though we all wanted to win, our coach made sure every senior got in the pool—no matter what.”

Grossman was one of those seniors.

“Let’s just say I wasn’t exactly known for my scoring stats. But I gave it everything I had. I didn’t want our coach to regret putting me in,” he laughed. “Luckily, I didn’t mess anything up—and I even helped with an assist.”

GA won the game.

“When the final whistle blew, the entire team jumped into the pool. I don’t think I’ve had a more rewarding or joyful moment. And yeah—I think our coach jumped in too.”

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Teaching Young Entrepreneurs

Grossman reminded students at the symposium that there’s no one way to build something meaningful.

“Most good ideas start messy. Don’t wait for clarity—take action, get it wrong, learn, repeat.”

Instead of offering a formula, he encouraged students to be curious, take risks, and trust the process of figuring things out by doing.