Managing Partner
Max Polyakov is a NewSpace visionary with his feet firmly planted on the ground. The 42-year-old Managing Partner of Noosphere Ventures says development of space technologies will help solve global problems on Earth. He believes that satellites sent into orbit on the Alpha rocket from Firefly Aerospace can be part of that effort.
For more than two decades, Polyakov has launched many profitable businesses. During the 1990s and 2000s, he founded several successful internet companies, most notably Maxymiser which offers cloud-based testing, personalization and cross-channel optimization solutions for brands to boost engagement and revenue.
In 2010, Max Polyakov became the first Ukrainian entrepreneur to have a company listed on the London Stock Exchange when the IPO for Cupid plc was announced. In 2011, Deloitte named Cupid the fastest growing tech company in Scotland. Just before Max Polyakov left the project, Cupid was named the best performer on the London Stock Exchange for 2012.
Polyakov is well known among top U.S. investors. Oracle, the U.S. based multinational computer technology corporation, purchased Maxymiser in 2015. Several years after that sale one of the world’s leading investment firms bought the assets of Murka Limited and Murka Entertainment Limited, which were co-owned by Polyakov.
In 2016, Polyakov’s Noosphere Ventures Partners founded Earth Observation System Data Analytics, EOS DA, as a startup to perform instant data analytics of remote Earth sensory data. One year later, Polyakov, with Noosphere Ventures, saved Firefly Aerospace from bankruptcy.
The native of Zaporizhia, Ukraine is also an academic with more than 20 scientific papers to his name and is a co-author of 11 patents. Max Polyakov received his PhD in 2013 after defending his dissertation in international economics on the topic "Development of Information Technology in the Global Economy."
Max Polyakov describes himself as a follower of the philosophy of Volodymyr Vernadsky, the founder of both the noosphere theory and Ukraine's Academy of Sciences during the last century. Vernadsky believed that the noosphere is the highest of all spheres, the sphere of the reason, where "noos" means "knowledge." This philosophy inspired Polyakov, who has created multiple projects and initiatives related to innovation and sharing knowledge with others.
Polyakov has drawn on Vernadsky for his vision and on the city of Dnipro in southeastern Ukraine for engineering help.
Polyakov has also created and supports initiatives that promote science and knowledge both in Ukraine and globally. In 2014, Polyakov created the Noosphere Engineering School, NES, project, which combines scientific theory and practice. Each student has the freedom to create their own project and while participating in a "learning by doing" format under the guidance of experienced mentors and experts.
In 2015, Max Polyakov founded the Vernadsky Challenge which helps develop the global business environment and assists in helping to create more innovative inventions. Polyakov supports grants given to the best teams participating in the competition. This gives them the opportunity to develop their project and establish their companies.
Guided by Vernadsky's noosphere philosophy, Polyakov founded the organization Noosphere. Projects, startups and international companies have all come together as part of a single vision: Sharing Knowledge to create Technology for Humanity.
The product of such cooperation is numerous national and local initiatives in Ukraine aimed at spreading knowledge in the fields of technology and space sciences. These include the BestRoboFest engineering festival as well as national competitions, such as the Ukraine Rocket Challenge, the Yangel Cup, the Noosphere Space Summit, the Copter Race drone championship as well as other events. The organization is also working to improve the infrastructure of the city of Dnipro. Gagarin City Park was revitalized in 2019 and the modernization of the city’s planetarium is expected to be completed in 2020.