Max Polyakov

Max Polyakov was born on June 30, 1977, in Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine.

He graduated with a degree in medicine from Zaporizhzhya State Medical University in 2000.

In 2001, Max Polyakov started his first company, IT-Ukraine. The outsourcing company was one of the first IT companies in south-eastern Ukraine and created software for US and European customers. In just four years, the company grew from 6 to 93 employees.

Building on this foundation of success in the online world, he co-founded several startups over the next two years including HitDynamics, Cupid Plc (initially Easydate) and Maxymiser.

In 2006, when HitDynamics was sold to the US company Hitwise (Experian Hitwise), the world leader in online consumer search and behavior intelligence, Max became vice-president of Hitwise.

In 2006, Max Polyakov co-founded Maxymiser. During the time Max was CEO and later the non-executive Director, the company attracted about $15 million of external investments and became a global expert in multivariate testing, personalization and optimization. As a result, Maxymiser attracted brands, such as Hertz, Teleflora, and Time Warner Cable. In 2015, Maxymiser was purchased by Oracle.

In 2010, he supervised the IPO launch of Cupid PLC on the London stock exchange as LSE AIM:CUP. Under the direction of Max Polyakov Cupid has become a market leader and a key player in the online dating industry. The company has over 54 million members and generated revenues of $83 million in 2011.

The explosive expansion garnered attention and in 2011, Cupid was awarded as the technology company with the fastest rate of growth in Scotland by Deloitte as well as was recognized as the Best Travel & Leisure PLC at the UK Stock Market Awards 2012, shortly before Max left the company.

In August 2012, Max Polyakov founded the publishing company, Renatus Media, to publish social and mobile games for studios located in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. They quickly attracted over 10 million users worldwide and became a leading US-based publishing company for the Apple App Store, Google Play, Amazon App Store, and Facebook.

In 2014, Dr. Polyakov became a general partner at the investment partnership Noosphere Ventures Partners in Palo Alto, California. The company investment focus is concentrated around the spheres of digital economy e.g. AdTech and engineering e.g. space launch systems.

In 2015, managed by Max Polyakov, Noosphere Ventures Partners founded EOSDA (Earth Observation System Data Analytics) company as a startup to perform instant data analytics of remote Earth Sensory data. In September 2017, EOSDA joined the International Astronautical Federation (IAF).

Since 2016 Max Polyakov has co-owned G.D.M. Group Holding Limited. The GDMG umbrella unites a set of marketing services that include performance, mobile, programming, video marketing and media purchases. These are performed by market leaders such as ClickDealer. ClickDealer is a Google Certified Partner that has been ranked as one of the best in the market by Performinsider and mThink Blue Book.

In 2017, Noosphere Ventures Partners' subsidiary purchased the assets, patents and intellectual property of Firefly Systems Inc. After the deal it was renamed Firefly Aerospace. The company, with its Headquarters in Cedar Park, Texas, develops new, small satellite launch vehicles.

In 2018, the US Air Force expressed its interest with a Statement of Support for the Firefly Aerospace Program.

In 2009, while operating a string of successful startups, Dr. Polyakov began a postgraduate study at Dnipropetrovsk National University, Ukraine, which he finished 3 years later in 2011.

In 2013 he graduated with a PhD in International Economics. The topic of his thesis was A Paradigm Model for Information Technology Development in the Global Economy and Forms for its Realization.

He continues to be a prolific writer and has published more than 20 scientific papers on various topics. Two of his most popular papers are “Internet-based system-semiotic technology and marketing technologies for management of national economy objects” and “The Development of logical and legal fundamentals of innovation processes in information technologies as innovative task of national importance”.

Along with these academic pursuits, Dr. Polyakov co-authored a dozen US patents including a unified ID system to allow users to enter and aggregate, as well as manage and control their personal data, and an Ontological System and variants of its use.

Since 2012, Max Polyakov began focusing his efforts on realising the potential in his home country of Ukraine. Using amateur rocketry both as a symbol of reaching for the stars, and a feat of engineering, he founded a series of philanthropic events to encourage young generation to get involved in engineering, science, and technology.

In 2014, Dr. Max Polyakov laid the foundation of the Noosphere Engineering School, a number of cutting-edge technology laboratories based in leading universities. The school offers training in innovative technology, space engineering techniques, and robotics. Students perform practical research and regularly collaborate with local businesses and agencies to introduce new products or improve on existing ones.

In 2015, Max Polyakov came up with the idea of the annual startup battle, the Vernadsky Challenge, to offer grants and support to engineering startups all over the world.

In 2015, with the support of Max Polyakov ,the FAI European Championship for Space Models was held Ukraine for the first time. To prepare for the event and lift air sports to the next level, he initiated the development of a new event management and scoring system for FAI (World Air sports Federation) competitions - Cup Navigator.

In 2016, he also co-founded the NGO Association Noosphere to encourage youth to get more involved in studying as a first step and later pursuing STEM careers. Association Noosphere regularly organizes festivals, conferences and meet-ups to foster interest in science, technology, rocketry and engineering. The same year Max Polyakov launched another annual event, BestRoboFest as well as began working more closely with local organizations and individuals in Ukraine to foster an entrepreneurial spirit.

In 2016, after the success of the FAI European Championships, Noosphere hosted the FAI World Championships for Space Models in Lviv, Ukraine. Cup Navigator performed perfectly during the championships and was quickly adopted by the FAI to be used at their events, e.g at IWGA World Games in Wroclaw, Poland, in 2017 and at the first world championships for drone races in Shenzhen, China in 2018.

Max Polyakov has played a considerable role in development of favorable scientific and technological ecosystem in Ukraine.

Rebranded by Noosphere Ventures Partners, Firefly Aerospace is an active supporter and follower of the NewSpace movement. With its small and medium-sized launch vehicles, the company aims to build an ecosystem where access to space will be affordable for a wider range of interested parties.

The success of his business became a key factor for Ernst & Young to name Max Polyakov Entrepreneur of the Year in Scotland in 2009.

In recognition of his role in modernizing the scoring and management systems for several FAI sports, Max Polyakov was awarded with the title of FAI Companion of Honour in 2017.

Away from the office, Max Polyakov is a dedicated husband and a devoted father to his four children.

Max Polyakov is a big fan of iron sculptures made at the Kasli Iron Smelting Factory. He has more than 100 Kasli sculptures in his private collection. The “Young Dreamer” sculpture inspired Max Polyakov in the creation of the Noosphere logo.

Dr. Max Polyakov is a passionate supporter of the Noosphere concept, offered by Vladimir Vernadsky. The philosophy of the prominent scientist became an integral part of Max Polyakov's business and philanthropic activities.