Kanu

What Kanu does

KANU is an experiential entrepreneurship education platform that enables students to build and run real businesses as part of their coursework, recording every customer interview, pitch, and transaction as verified proof of learning. The company serves K-12 Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs and higher education entrepreneurship centers, with named customers including Babson College, Drexel University, Florida Southern College, Quinnipiac University, and multiple K-12 virtual academies. The platform is built on a three-product architecture: KANU Classroom (a library of 75+ ready-to-run entrepreneurship experiences), KANU Compete (a venture-competition platform ranked on real traction rather than presentations), and KANU Marketplace (a school-branded storefront where student ventures sell to real customers). Underpinning these products are eight integrated tools (PitchLink, AudioLink, ShopLink, BookLink, KPay, Notepad, NoteLink, SmartLink) that capture the full venture lifecycle. KAI, an AI-powered guide, is embedded across every experience to direct students through the platform's Learn-Do-Verify loop.

KANU monetizes through school-wide annual license subscriptions priced per institution rather than per seat, with no usage caps. The primary revenue channel is Perkins V federal CTE funding, for which KANU qualifies as an allowable work-based learning expense; the company provides funding guides and CLNA plan language templates to facilitate procurement. A self-serve PLG motion (free activities, QR-code student invites) coexists with enterprise direct sales targeting districts and university entrepreneurship centers. The company is privately held, backed by Reach Capital and JFF Ventures, and operated by Founder & CEO Ben Grossman and co-founder Andrew Bikash, who founded the company as students at the University of Rhode Island. FERPA and COPPA compliance with school-controlled accounts addresses the privacy requirements of K-12 procurement. The platform has not disclosed revenue, funding rounds, or headcount, though Florida Southern College's Seed-to-Scale Program grew from 25 to 400+ students (11% of the student body) in a single academic year on KANU, demonstrating measurable land-and-expand economics at the program level.

Name

Kanu

Website

https://kanu.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KANU is an experiential entrepreneurship education platform serving K-12 CTE programs and higher education entrepreneurship centers, enabling students to build and run real businesses with verified outcomes. The platform combines an experience library, venture competition tools, and a school-branded marketplace under a school-wide license model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Technology - Experiential Learning Platform

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Technical and Trade Schools (61151)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Curriculum, Lesson Planning & Instructional Content Platforms (EDAJAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Career & College Readiness Platforms (Guidance, Planning, Scholarships) (EDAJAMAO)

Keywords

• Experiential entrepreneurship education
• Work-based learning platform
• CTE curriculum software
• Venture simulation platform
• Student entrepreneurship tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Providence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. School-Wide License Subscription: KANU is priced as one license per school, covering every student and every teacher for the full academic year. This is a program-level purchase rather than per-seat pricing, with no usage caps. Pilots are credited toward full packages.
2. Perkins Funding: Schools fund KANU through Perkins V federal CTE funding as an allowable work-based learning expense. The company provides funding guides and plan language templates to facilitate this funding pathway.
3. Implementation and Training Services: Includes implementation planning with KANU's team, virtual onboarding, staff training for faculty, and end-of-year review with engagement data. These are bundled into the school-wide license offering.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KANU is an experiential entrepreneurship education platform that enables students to build and run real businesses within existing K-12 and higher education courses. The platform combines a library of 75+ ready-to-run experiences, an integrated tool suite (pitch validation, customer interview recording, storefront, booking, payment processing), and an AI-powered guide (KAI) to produce verified student outcomes used as audit-ready evidence for Perkins funding compliance.

Product overview

KANU is an experiential entrepreneurship education platform with a three-product architecture: KANU Classroom (a library of plug-and-play entrepreneurial experiences for existing courses), KANU Compete (a venture-competition platform ranked on real traction), and KANU Marketplace (a school-branded storefront where student ventures sell to real customers). Underpinning all three products are integrated tools — PitchLink, AudioLink, ShopLink, BookLink, KPay, Notepad, NoteLink, and SmartLink — that enable students to pitch, record interviews, sell products and services, accept payments, and track outreach. KAI is an AI guide embedded across every KANU experience, directing students through the entrepreneurial loop of Learn, Do, Verify.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KANU Classroom A library of hands-on entrepreneurship experiences ranging from one class period to multi-week ventures that plug into existing K-12 and higher education courses. Includes 75+ ready-to-run experiences with automatic completion tracking, pre-built teaching notes, and no grading pile, targeted at educators and program administrators.
• KANU Compete A venture competition platform where student businesses are ranked on real traction (sales, sign-ups, outcomes) rather than pitch presentations, with live leaderboards and engagement analytics. Enables schools to host campus-wide venture competitions and join broader K-12 events.
• KANU Marketplace A school-branded storefront where student ventures go live for the community to see, support, and purchase from, keeping student work visible and in-market. Allows student-built businesses to sell to real customers under the school's banner.

Quantifiable outcome

• Florida Southern College grew from 25 to 400+ students in their incubation program in one academic year with one full-time employee
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature11 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Clever: K-12 identity and rostering platform owned by Kahoot. Not a content competitor, but sits in the same district procurement and IT-infrastructure layer; relevant as an enabler/distribution channel rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• EVERFI: Digital courseware provider for K-12 and higher-ed covering financial literacy, career readiness, and workforce skills. Competes for district wallet share on career-readiness and CTE-adjacent content, though EVERFI's content is more linear-course than venture-experiential.
• Newsela: K-12 instructional content platform used widely across US districts. While focused on literacy rather than entrepreneurship, Newsela competes for the same district-wide license slot and Perkins/CEERS budget that KANU targets.
• Junior Achievement USA: Long-established nonprofit providing work readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship programs to K-12 students across the US. A broader incumbent in the same youth entrepreneurship-and-career-readiness category KANU targets.

Direct peers

• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE): Nonprofit delivering youth entrepreneurship curricula and experiential programs to K-12 and community college students. Directly comparable to KANU's K-12 CTE and entrepreneurship education mission, though NFTE is curriculum-and-program-led rather than a software platform.
• DECA: Student organization for marketing, finance, hospitality, and entrepreneurship with a strong CTE footprint in US high schools. Competes for the same CTE-program time, attention, and Perkins-funded budgets that KANU sells into.
• Practicum (by Practicum Education Group): Experiential learning platform providing real-world project-based learning and mentorship for students, with strong higher-ed and K-12 reach. Directly comparable in replacing hypothetical assignments with verified, real-work learning experiences.
• Riipen: Work-based learning platform connecting higher-ed students with real industry projects. Closely comparable to KANU in enabling authentic, project-based learning with verified outcomes for higher-ed entrepreneurship and business programs.
• BizWorld Foundation: Youth entrepreneurship education nonprofit running project-based curricula where students start simulated or real businesses in classrooms. Closely comparable to KANU's experiential, venture-building approach for K-12 entrepreneurship education.
• NAF (National Academy Foundation): Network of career academies focused on career-themed curricula in high schools, including entrepreneurship themes. Comparable as a CTE/career-readiness solution layer for K-12 districts, with similar Perkins-aligned funding pathways.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kanu