Maxim Tint, the driving force behind GTRIIP, is a visionary leader with a passion for innovation in the travel industry. As Founder & CEO, Maxim has spearheaded GTRIIP’s mission to revolutionize the way we travel by pioneering document-less check-in experiences. With a focus on leveraging cutting-edge technology, Maxim and his team are dedicated to creating seamless, secure, and hassle-free travel solutions that prioritize convenience and safety.
Prepare to dive into the insightful world of Maxim Tint, the dynamic Founder & CEO of GTRIIP. In this exclusive interview, we uncover Maxim’s journey, vision, and invaluable experiences as he navigates the realms of technology and travel. From his humble beginnings to the challenges he’s faced along the way, Maxim shares candid insights and pearls of wisdom for the younger generation. Join us as we explore the mind of a visionary leader shaping the future of travel and technology.
When I was still in high school in 1997, I got access to a Macintosh laptop that my dad was assigned to for his Geophysics survey work. It was not common for households to have a personal computer at home. I was totally smitten so I tried to self-learn how to make a bootable floppy disk for it, and how to write AppleScript. This has sparked my early passion in technology. After graduating from polytechnic, I joined a start-up building data warehouse solutions which was later acquired by NTT, the largest telco in Japan. You tend to learn a lot of things outside of your comfort zone when you work for smaller companies that give you the autonomy and freedom to learn and grow in your junior years.
My biggest moments of growth came from understanding and accepting what I am not good at or capable of doing. Founders need to be confident and positive to get things started so it is also important that you actively seek out partners, mentors, or investors who are more experienced and smarter than you to help point out your blind spots and mistakes with brutal honesty. If you usually find yourself the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.
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Our team is already obsessed about tech so if there is a new trend, we would be talking about it during lunch! It actually takes a lot more thought process and discipline to simplify that technology to apply only the right and mature ones into products that go on to create real value for customers at scale.
I have definitely let out a little sigh of relief at every funding round closing for the business especially our Series B that we raised from institutional investors and international telcos because that meant validation from complete strangers who did not even know me personally, based on the merits alone of the product and the company we have built. We also learned that closing a round is just the starting line, not the finish line. The difficult part is try to deliver, despite setbacks like Covid and market conditions, on that promise for your shareholders.
The best work life balance that happened to me was becoming a dad for the first time when the company was 3 year old. All the stress and hard work feels worth it all when you see your kid’s smile when you come home at night. I also try to set aside some time for a sports or PC gaming session with my close friends at least once a weekend. Building a business is a marathon, so you need to take care of your mental and physical wellbeing.
Do not compare yourself with others because you do not know what they had to go through either, but compare with yourself from yesterday to keep improving. Learn from your failures, but pick yourself up right after to try again. The failures do not define a person, but how you handle them with grace and recover from them with grit does.
Covid changed the culture of work-from-home. There are now a lot of remote roles that you could work on regardless of your physical location. Improve on communications, language skills, and soft skills so it will open more doors for your technical skills to shine through.