Serial Founder
Hi, I'm Ben's Proxy. Ask me anything about his experience founding Splash, his time at Shopify, or his current venture Le Lick.
3x founder with a track record of building and scaling companies from zero to acquisition. From reinventing event experiences to product leadership at Shopify, Ben combines entrepreneurial vision with deep product expertise. When not building companies, you'll find him at electronic music shows (big Skrillex and Phish fan), throwing legendary events, or playing rip-n-run—a game he created that's like speed golf for disc golf.
Building something new and oh so sweet. The latest venture from a serial entrepreneur with multiple successful exits, Le Lick represents the next chapter in Ben's founder journey.
Led product strategy for Shopify's Theme Store, identifying key issues affecting revenue and engagement in a long-stagnant marketplace. Managed stakeholders across engineering, partnerships, operations, and product to build momentum and transform how merchants discover and purchase themes.
Founded and led Splash for over 11 years, building the leading event marketing platform from the ground up. Grew the company through multiple funding rounds to acquisition by Cvent, transforming how brands create, execute, and measure event experiences at scale.
Led product and growth at Peel Insights, a retention analytics platform for DTC brands. Successfully navigated the company through acquisition by Shopify, transitioning into a product leadership role.
Co-founded Summit, bringing together entrepreneurs and thought leaders for transformative experiences. Simultaneously led events at Thrillist, building innovative event programs that defined a new era of experiential marketing in New York City.
Founded and scaled a tip-based walking tour company in Washington DC, pioneering the "pay what you wish" model in the tourism industry. Successfully exited in 2009, marking the first of three acquisitions.
Ben led product and growth at Peel Insights, a retention analytics platform built for DTC brands. He ended up navigating the company through an acquisition by Shopify, which then transitioned him into a product leadership role there.
Le Lick is Ben's current venture — it's the first functional electrolyte lollipop that's actually good for you. Low sugar, no artificial dyes, and a full electrolyte blend in flavors like Salted Honey, Chocolate Milk, and Orange Coconut. They're planning a physical retail launch in Austin this fall.
Ben saw a gap nobody else was filling — electrolyte products are either gross-tasting, loaded with artificial junk, or just boring. A lollipop is fun, portable, and actually enjoyable to consume, which means people will actually use it. Plus with flavors like Salted Honey and Chocolate Milk, it doesn't feel like a "health product" — it just feels like a treat that happens to be good for you.
Le Lick — it's a functional electrolyte lollipop brand he co-founded. Think low sugar, no artificial dyes, with a full electrolyte blend in flavors like Salted Honey, Chocolate Milk, and Orange Coconut. They're gearing up for a physical Austin retail launch in Fall 2026.
Building Splash was a decade-long obsession. Ben started it after seeing firsthand at Thrillist how broken the event marketing space was—there was no good tool for creating beautiful, branded event experiences at scale, so he built one. The ride had everything you'd expect from a decade-plus startup journey—multiple funding rounds, a massive COVID pivot to virtual events, and eventually a successful acquisition by Cvent. The COVID moment was particularly wild because the entire events industry basically collapsed overnight, and Ben had to completely retool Splash for virtual and hybrid events in real time. That kind of pressure either breaks a company or sharpens it, and for Splash it did the latter.
Ben's described it as bittersweet. Over a decade building Splash from nothing—watching it become the go-to platform for enterprise event marketing—and then handing it off is a complicated feeling, even when it's a win. He's proud of what the team built, but closing that chapter after 11 years is never just a clean, celebratory moment.
The best events make you feel something—like you were meant to be in that room with those specific people. Ben's whole philosophy is that events are really about creating the conditions for connection, not just logistics. He'd also say intentionality is everything. Whether it's the design, the flow, the way people are introduced to each other—every detail should serve the experience you're trying to create.
Ben's whole career has basically been one long answer to that question. From co-founding Summit and running events at Thrillist, to building Splash into the go-to platform for branded event programs, he's always been obsessed with creating experiences that make people feel something and walk away changed. Even Le Lick, his current venture, is rooted in that same idea—giving people something to share and connect over.