Maksym Krippa is a Ukrainian businessman who has built a career at the intersection of technology, esports, and real estate. He owns the rights to the NAVI (Natus Vincere) team, the Maincast broadcast studio and TV channel, a stake in the GSC Game World gaming company, and a number of commercial properties in Ukraine.
Education and early career
Maksym Krippa was born on August 11, 1977 in Kyiv. After high school, he entered the International Christian University, where he studied business administration and management from 1994 to 1998. Later, he earned a master’s degree at the European University (2006-2007) and a law degree at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (2008-2011).
At the turn of the 1990s and 2000s, Krippa focused on the mobile communications industry. His company, Ukrainian Mobile TeleSystems, became an official dealer of Kyivstar. The company was engaged in connecting subscribers, wholesale sales of phones and accessories, and their maintenance.
The entrepreneur recalled in an interview with Forbes that at that time dealers received substantial rewards – up to $200 for each connection at the exchange rate of 5 UAH/$. In a few years, the team expanded to dozens of stores.
Investments: real estate and esports
It is known that businessman Maxim Krippa worked in the UAE real estate market for a long time, but later decided to invest in the Ukrainian economy again. Thus, in 2018, he acquired the esports organization NAVI from Oleksandr Kokhanovskyi, which is considered the most successful Ukrainian team in terms of the number of international titles and profit.
In late 2019 and early 2020, the businessman began cooperation with Maincast, a studio that broadcasts top esports tournaments. In 2023, he fully bought out the company.
According to the Esports Charts report for 2022, Maincast’s share of the Ukrainian market reached almost 64%. As of 2024, the company is a leader in Eastern Europe and has launched its own TV channel on OTT platforms and cable networks.
Another significant contribution was the purchase of a stake in the GSC Game World game studio. In 2020, Crippa became the owner of 40% of the company, and in 2023, he increased it to 82% by financing the development of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.
Real estate investments
Krippa is also actively investing in Ukrainian real estate. In 2023, his company acquired the Parus business center in Kyiv, and in 2024, the Ukraina Hotel. Today, the entrepreneur is one of the ten largest office real estate owners in the country. Earlier it was reported that Maxim Krippa became the head of the Ukrainian Esports Federation.