# Ben McKean

> Ben McKean is the co-founder and CEO of Hungryroot, the U.S. grocery and recipe service. A Georgetown graduate and former Savored founder, he sold Savored to Groupon in 2012 before launching Hungryroot in 2015 with Gregory Struck and chef Franklin Becker. He led its 2017 production overhaul and 2019 move into personalized grocery shopping. In February 2026, he reported $700 million in 2025 net revenue.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Hungryroot
- **Organizations:** Hungryroot, Savored, Groupon, Merrill Lynch, Every
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Economics, Georgetown University
- **Known for:** Built Savored and sold the restaurant technology business to Groupon in 2012; deal terms were not disclosed., Led Hungryroot through its production overhaul and personalized-grocery pivot., Reported $700 million in Hungryroot 2025 net revenue, 55% annual growth, and service to more than 700,000 households.

## Career timeline

- **2004** — Started CSH, his first business, at age 18; a former colleague dates the business from 2004 to its sale in 2008.
- **2008** — Graduated from Georgetown University; his early career included technology investment banking at Merrill Lynch.
- **2009** — Founded Savored, originally known as VillageVines, to help restaurants fill tables using demand-based pricing.
- **2012** — Groupon acquired Savored in September; McKean joined Groupon and became vice president and general manager overseeing its food and beverage business.
- **2015** — Launched Hungryroot with Gregory Struck and chef Franklin Becker.
- **2017** — Paused Hungryroot shipments for six months to move from in-house production to outside manufacturing partners.
- **2019** — Changed Hungryroot into a personalized grocery service, adding third-party brands and algorithmic recommendations.
- **2021** — Hungryroot raised a $40 million Series C.
- **2023** — Received an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year New York award; also discussed his conversational-games venture Every.
- **2024** — Received Georgetown’s Best of Retail entrepreneurial award and recognition at Goldman Sachs’ Builders and Innovators Summit.
- **2025** — Delivered a keynote at the Summer Fancy Food Show in June.
- **2026** — Reported Hungryroot’s 2025 results and described the next stage of SmartCart and recipe discovery.

## Achievements

- Built Savored and sold the restaurant technology business to Groupon in 2012; deal terms were not disclosed.
- Led Hungryroot through its production overhaul and personalized-grocery pivot.
- Reported $700 million in Hungryroot 2025 net revenue, 55% annual growth, and service to more than 700,000 households.
- EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2023 New York award recipient.
- Georgetown Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards 2024 Best of Retail recipient.
- Recognized by Goldman Sachs among its Most Exceptional Entrepreneurs of 2024, according to his public LinkedIn profile.

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — On February 19, reported $700 million in 2025 net revenue, up 55%, with more than 700,000 households served; outlined 2026 priorities.
- **2026-05** — On May 12, published an explanation of SmartCart, describing five fulfillment centers, nearly 1,000 grocery items, and more than 50,000 recipes at that time.
- **2026-06** — On June 4, published reflections on three years judging EY’s Entrepreneur Of The Year program.
- **2026-09** — A September 29 Medium listing and his LinkedIn announcement describe a new Hungryroot experience with a Discovery Feed and Cookbooks; he says web recipe importing is forthcoming.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmckean
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/benjaminmckean

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ben-mckean
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-27