Joel Grossman x NumberAI
“This is a big step for small businesses”
Anyone can be an entrepreneur as long as they “maintain a humbleness and a willingness to fail” according to the charismatic Joel Grossman, founder of NUMA AI and Brown Class of ‘99. Grossman epitomizes these sentiments as his failures and experimentations forged his successful start-up career. Grossman’s ability to ‘fail successfully’ stems from his adaptability which was evident even in his early days as a Brown Undergraduate. Grossman, like many Brown students, was excited by “the ability to decide your own path including what goals you want to accomplish, how you were going to get there, and what challenges there were.” It is this problem-solving atmosphere that inspired Grossman to forgo his original dream of becoming a doctor and rather take the leap into the technology industry.
This leap resulted in Grossman developing a deep appreciation for the energetic start-up culture. NUMA AI is not Grossman’s first start-up. He co-founded this company fresh off the success of his previous start-up, Location Labs, which sold in 2014 to AVG for $220 million. This success and experience with start-ups helped craft the idea behind NUMA AI’s novel goal.
The idea behind NUMA AI stems from the simple ideology of entrepreneurship: identify a problem and create a solution. NUMA AI aims to help enhance small businesses' communication with customers by offering texting, answering, and ordering automated services as the founders recognized the difficulty in connecting with local business owners. Grossman states that mainstream small businesses “don’t get a lot of love,” which gives NUMA AI a unique niche to target. Grossman’s customers are “like a family,” because small businesses are extremely personal. NUMA AI appreciates their customers and values each of their experiences; this ideal stems from Grossman’s belief in “paying it forward when you can.”
It is the people you meet along the journey that make life impactful and meaningful. Grossman not only strives to help make his customer’s businesses run more efficiently, he also strives to help the Brown Entrepreneurship Community. His willingness to help and listen makes him not only a successful entrepreneur, but a prime example of the individual Brown strives to create: a conscious, caring innovator who uses their knowledge to make a positive impact.