The Digest | New Jersey Magazine
Issue link: https://magazines.vuenj.com/i/957882
What was your background prior to JetSmarter? Your education and upbringing? I was born in Moscow, I moved to the U.S. when I was four, and I've lived between California and Colorado and South Florida. I moved to South Florida when I was 11 or 12. I went to the University of Florida and studied finance. When I was 18, I wasn't really into college that much — I was more interested in getting out of college — and I got involved with my first startup. It supported chat for audio and video for website customer service. I wasn't the founder but since I got involved early they called me a co-founder. at was my first experience working with engineers and I learned with technology how much value you can bring in a short amount of time. I knew then that I wanted to start companies and tech was the field I wanted to be involved in. How did the journey with JetSmarter begin? What was your vision? In 2009 when I began flying private, I quickly came to realize that the private jet industry was very archaic; its brick-and- mortar process of picking up the phone, waiting hours and speaking to numerous different people in order to charter a jet was outdated and inconvenient. In 2012, I spoke to the carriers I had established relationships with and discussed how large of an impact an app to charter a private plane would have on the industry. In August 2012, I made it a reality and created the beta version of JetSmarter, sharing it with an exclusive group of industry experts and frequent private jet users. In March 2013, JetSmarter launched globally. JetSmarter's goal is to make private jet travel accessible to the masses, and more than just the privileged .01 percent. Where and how did you raise capital for the company? We have raised funding from private sources including the royal family in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, A-league executives, music moguls, and more. We have also announced our series C funding raise of $105 million, at a $1.5 billion pre- money valuation, from existing and new strategic investors. We used this funding to expand our JetShuttle offerings and continue to expand globally. VUE ON LIFESTYLE V U E N J . C O M 81