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Chattanooga: Site lets students park notes, comments

By: Brian Lazenby
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Tyler Jenks

Tyler Jenks and Benjamin Wald are each just 21 years old, but they started a company they hope will revolutionize an aspect of the college experience.

The two entrepreneurs formed the idea for Knetwit while students at Babson College in Massachusetts.

Knetwit is an Internet site similar to FaceBook or MySpace, except the site revolves around a student’s need for a venue to exchange notes and discuss concepts studied in class.

Mr. Jenks said he had an epiphany while studying in Milan, Italy, and realized how much the Internet is changing how people interact.

“We are in a new time and place now where human interaction is unlike anything it has ever been since the dawn of man,” he said. “The one thing that has not changed is the way human beings interact for the sole purpose of learning and the exchange of knowledge.”

The two recent college graduates moved to Michigan and launched their plan to revolutionize the collegiate learning process.

The company began with six employees, which Mr. Wald calls the “Knetwit Six,” but things didn’t fully take off until they met Thomas Bohn, who became chief executive.

“We knew we needed to bring on a serious CEO,” Mr. Wald said.

That was when a friend introduced them to Mr. Bohn, 46, who had business experience to help steer their ideas in the right direction.

After reading their business plan, Mr. Bohn was immediately impressed.

“I realized these guys were so hungry and so committed, they would do whatever they had to do to be successful,” Mr. Bohn said. “I would not have gotten involved if I didn’t truly believe we are on the cusp of something very great.”

They moved their company to Chattanooga in January and grew to 17 full-time employees and three interns.

Knetwit’s current site is limited version of what it will soon be, they said. It is currently a “beta version” with a select group of professors and students using the site and providing feedback.

They are planning a major launch in September, but Knetwit officials are not revealing any of their secrets.

“What is on www.knetwit.com now is not what will be there in September,” Mr. Wald said, adding that the main concepts will be the same, but the vehicle for delivering them will be greatly enhanced.

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