# Benjamin Smith

> Benjamin Smith is the Austin-based co-founder and CEO of Mars Men, which he built with Zach Stuck. A Wake Forest graduate and former gym owner, he founded Disco in 2019 and publicly examined its 2023 closure. His public interviews focus on branding, customer research, acquisition and the operational realities of consumer businesses.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Mars Men
- **Organizations:** Mars Men, Disco, Top Tier Fitness, En-Plast, Magic Mind, Paradigm Capital
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts, Communication and Entrepreneurship, Wake Forest University, Summer Management Program, Wake Forest University
- **Known for:** Built and sold two boutique gym businesses., Founded Disco and raised capital for its expansion., Included in Forbes Next 1000 coverage reported by CultureMap Austin in January 2022.

## Career timeline

- **2014** — Launched two boutique gyms while at university.
- **2015** — Graduated from Wake Forest University.
- **2019** — Sold his gym businesses, according to his 2021 Practical Ecommerce interview; other interviews give 2018.
- **2019-10** — Launched Disco.
- **2021** — Disco announced a $5 million seed round.
- **2022** — Griffin Johnson joined Disco as investor, adviser and brand ambassador.
- **2023-11** — Publicly addressed Disco’s Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
- **2024** — Co-founded Mars Men with Zach Stuck; publicly introduced the brand in May.
- **2026-03** — Mars Men announced a $27.5 million Series A led by L Catterton.

## Achievements

- Built and sold two boutique gym businesses.
- Founded Disco and raised capital for its expansion.
- Included in Forbes Next 1000 coverage reported by CultureMap Austin in January 2022.
- Co-founded Mars Men, which announced a $27.5 million Series A in March 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Mars Men announced a $27.5 million Series A led by L Catterton on March 30; stated plans included team expansion, partnerships and retail distribution.

## Links

- Website: https://mengotomars.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebenjaminsmith/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/itmebenjamin
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebenjaminsmith/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/benjamin-smith
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-26