Early Life
Ben Chestnut was born and raised in Augusta, Georgia. He attended high school in Hephzibah, Georgia. Chestnut studied physics at the University of Georgia and industrial design at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Growing up, Chestnut's mother ran a hair salon from their home.
Rise to Success
In 2000, Chestnut and Dan Kurzius, both web designers, lost their jobs and decided to start their own web design company, the Rocket Science Group. In 2001, they launched Mailchimp as a side project to help small businesses with email marketing, which has since evolved into a larger marketing platform. Chestnut and Kurzius decided to commit to Mailchimp full-time in 2007. Chestnut and Kurzius bootstrapped the company without outside funding. The company was acquired by Intuit in 2021 for $12 billion.
Key Business Strategies
Mailchimp adopted a freemium model in 2009, which helped to expand its user base and increase profits. Chestnut focused on user-friendly design and listening to the customers' needs.
Philanthropy
Ben Chestnut serves on the advisory board for the Emory Center of Ethics.