"We found studying pretty impersonal and boring, and we spent a lot of time on TikTok and Instagram."

German entrepreneur Benedict Kurz was just 17 when he founded Knowunity in 2019 with three friends the same age. The company wanted to change how students acquired knowledge by adopting a peer-to-peer approach: students who were really good at a particular subject would explain the material to others.

These "knowers" would have their own influencer profiles and followers on the platform. Quizzes, index cards and mock exams were designed to make learning more exciting.

Knowunity also developed a "study companion" based on several different AI language models. It has access to millions of "knowers," enabling it to compile individual study plans and exercises.

"Our app is tailored to the students themselves, not teachers or schools," says Kurz.

Personal recommendation is an essential element of the business model. According to company data, from year five on, one in three schoolchildren in Germany already use Knowunity for studying, and so do many university students. It has more than 20 million users in 17 countries.

Now, the Berlin-based startup plans to expand, primarily to the US and Asia. Knowunity has raised more than €45 million ($52.3 million) in funding to do this.

In the last few years, the COVID-19 pandemic and ChatGPT have turned the education sector upside down. Investors have spotted the opportunities this has created, and their investment has enabled the Berlin learning platform to grow at a startling rate.

Many young people find the education system's inflexible "one size fits all" principle frustrating, but very few take this as the inspiration to start a company. What prompts someone not just to identify a problem, but to contribute to the solution actively?

The IfM in Bonn, an institute that analyses the situation of small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany, and the Research Network Entrepreneurship conducted a survey that found that 40% of all 14- to 25-year-olds have some interest in starting a company. Only 11% actually do so. The number is twice as high in the Netherlands and the United States.

The researchers believe that, within this age group, there is potential for an additional 1.6 million startups. What holds these young people back is financial insecurity, lack of networks, lack of knowledge of business practices and limited access to capital.

An experiment conducted with around 300 young adults interested in starting a company showed that basic startup security provision is the thing most likely to encourage them to take the plunge. Social security benefits and a secure income in the first year could make all the difference. Among the young adults, 24-year-olds would find this more of a motivation than 18-year-olds, women more so than men.

Access to venture capital is more decisive for men. Immigrants, who tend to be less well-connected, want mentoring and help establishing networks. Support programs and further training geared to young would-be entrepreneurs come quite a long way down the list. The researchers are calling for young people with a variety of different needs to be actively involved in developing measures that would support them.

Kurz knew very early on that he was going to be a businessman. At the age of 13, he was already buying and selling Chinese e-bikes online. He devoured podcasts about entrepreneurship and stories about people like Mark Zuckerberg who had built huge enterprises out of nothing. There were also role models at home: His parents, and his grandfather before them, run a small family business.

"Entrepreneurship was never a topic at school," says Kurz. "My fellow students found my preferred career a bit of a joke."

His best friend was the only one who shared his enthusiasm. Today, he, too, has his own company.

Kurz found his partners in Knowunity at an event for people interested in starting a company. All four now work at the startup in different roles.

Unlike Knowunity, most startups originate in an academic environment. According to the current Student Entrepreneurship Monitor of the German Startup Association, one in five students can imagine setting up their own company. Soft factors are considered the most important: They want to learn new things, see the relevance of their work, and they're prepared to work long hours for this. Here, too, there's a lot of untapped potential: an estimated 18,000 startups a year that at present simply don't get off the ground.

The majority of potential entrepreneurs, and even those aiming for a traditional career in employment, would have liked to have learned more in school and at university about starting and running a business. There's not much content along these lines on the Knowunity app, either.

"We're guided by the curricula," Kurz admits. He suggests that the subject ought to be presented positively within the education system.

He says it doesn't always have to be Zuckerberg; there are also great regional entrepreneurs. "They should bring more of them in to give guest lectures in schools."

Kurz is on the board of the Startup Association. He is also in favor of social security to cover the initial phase.

"Not everyone is lucky enough to get support from their family. Lots of people have the pressure of needing to start earning money right away."

Kurz also thinks universities have a responsibility to facilitate the transfer of scientific discoveries to industry and to invest in spin-off companies. Finally, he says, regional hubs are needed to take startup culture to the regions.

"Outside the bubbles of Berlin or Munich, it's not really something people have on their radar," he comments.

Almost no free time in five years, the abandonment of a sporting career, and the weight of responsibility for employees and investors' money are part of the package of being an entrepreneur. On the other hand, says Kurz, it's super cool to create something new, make your own decisions, and work with exciting people. And he also gets a buzz every time he's on a train and spots someone using his app.

This article has been translated from German.