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    Founder of MAXION, Christiana Maxion, on building long-lasting connections through tech

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    Creative Direction: Amy SessionsPhotographer: Ziga MihelčičFashion Editor: Camille MacawiliMakeup & Hair: Mauro Hernan at MMG artistsCover Star: Christiana MaxionLocation with thanks to UPSIDE LIVINGStyling with thanks to OUNASSIn February’s Breaking The Code, Christiana Maxion, Founder of MAXION, shares personal insights that kick-started her career in building long-lasting human connections through tech, plus her vision for a different online future.What first ignited your interest to develop and start MAXION?It all started with an Instagram account… I started documenting my dating experience in 2020 and people were really drawn to my empowered dating standpoint: dating with high standards and low expectations. I absolutely loved dating in Dubai but the account taught me one thing: people hated dating in Dubai and I was shocked because the most amazing people I have ever met have lived here! I soon figured out that people were just missing one another and I wanted to be the bridge that connected them. I opened up my matchmaking agency in 2021 and we saw immediate success and extreme demand. Which proved to me that people were searching for an alternative to what was currently on the market. In seven months Christiana MAXION Solutions was offering elite matchmaking for high and ultra high net worth men, not only in Dubai, but worldwide! We now boast an over 95% success rate with a 40,000+ global database. What I realized with the matchmaking agency is that we only service a niche group of people and can only take on a certain number of clients per quarter – but I wanted more! I wanted to create more connections and success for a larger pool of people. So I decided to digitise my services, marrying compatibility and concierge, and boom – I launched MAXION in ten months time and we are bringing my elite matchmaking to the masses!What is the USP of the app that sets it apart from the others?MAXION is a matchmaking concierge for driven, smart, ambitious individuals across the GCC who are time-poor, and designed to expedite the entire connection process and put you in front of the right people. Most of us move to the UAE on a work visa without close friends, family or a partner, and it could be a lonely place to start. We all go through proximity settling (forced to be friends with people you work with or live in your neighborhood, rather than true compatibility) and spend lots of wasted time in heaps of trial-and-error relationships. In a city like Dubai, where you outsource everything, why not outsource your love life to the experts? MAXION is changing the way accomplished professionals form meaningful connections – getting busy professionals off the app and in-person with compatible partners. What is on the market right now is NOT working! 42% of online daters have a negative experience; 71% of people lie on dating apps; 77% of online daters don’t go on in-person dates. The UAE is becoming more of a permanent place rather than a transient city and meaningful connections will assist in people’s decisions to choose the GCC as their future home. Now is the perfect time to launch as we want to capture this demand and ride on the success of the agency by catering to a wider audience and expanding into friendship in addition to romantic connections.∙ Only vetted, verified, real people: No tourists. All members are LinkedIn and EID verified.∙ Compatibility: No more swiping. New, expertly-picked profiles sent weekly.∙ Concierge: No more wasted time chatting. We plan, book, and con- firm all of your dates through our partnership with Seven Rooms. We get you to the date with our partnership with Yango.∙ Connection: No more ghosting. Feedback gives you direction and feeds into our compatibility engines to perfect the process.∙ Cherry on top: Not everyone has the time to go on one-on-one dates so maximise your chances of connection by gaining access to our member-exclusive parties. MAXION is designed to skip the chit chat and get you in-person in order to see if there’s a connection. Our ratio will always be 50:50.MAXION was on beta test and officially launched last year. How has it been received?We are so excited to announce that we now have MAXION Members on our platform connecting, going on dates, and attending events. We already have a few couples just from our launch party! We had a slight hiccup post launch with transitioning from an external agency to an internal tech team, but ever since our second launch, we are proud to say that we have over 1,000 downloads and 800 plus applications in just six weeks! We are ready to take over and solve the GCC connection crisis!Have you had to get comfortable as an entrepreneur and has it changed the way you view yourself?I always knew I was destined for greatness but didn’t know which route would make me shine the brightest and now I’ve found it. I’ve been an athlete, Pilates trainer, author, school leader, millionaire matchmaker, and now tech founder… billionaire next. I LOVE who I am today. The woman I look at in the mirror today is a completely different woman than who I was when I moved to this country in 2016, when I was a school leader in 2018, and in between jobs in 2021. I have built myself into what I am today and truly believe that the successes I’ve achieved in all aspects of my life, in particular, my fitness, sobriety, my matchmaking agency and now as a tech founder are at the core of my confidence, drive, ambition, resilience, and grit.“I entered a totally new space blind but figured it out. I always say, “jump, then figure out how to fly.”How many people are in your team now and did you start out alone?Being a solo first-time tech founder came with its many challenges, but I always saw every speed bump as a learned lesson and used it to be better moving forward. I entered a totally new space blind but figured it out. I always say, “jump. then figure out how to fly.” The first thing I did when I entered the tech space was ask all of my friends to introduce me to anyone in the space – tech founders, fund managers, anyone and everyone. I connected with people and the first thing I asked them was “tell me the two biggest mistakes you ever made and how you fixed them.” I learned massive lessons from these conversations.Our current team: We now have three advisors and eight MAXION employees. Advisors are KEY especially for a solo founder. I have a tech advisor, strategy advisor and startup advisor. Our team consists of operations, tech, marketing, and memberships, but in all honesty there’s only one role in startups: whatever it takes! You must be able to wear all hats to make this wheel turn. But I could absolutely not live without my right hand! Samreen Khimani is our Operations Lead. I’m the head and she’s the neck. I have the vision, dream, can see the future, and make things happen, but she makes things move. Without the neck, you have no head. She is an absolute critical person to how we function and I trust her wholly and completely. We’ve known each other for years and she has been on this journey with me since 2020!You’re clearly a driven person. Where do you think it all comes from?I am highly motivated by status. I grew up in a very affluent area but always felt a couple of steps behind and I’m determined to be hundreds of steps ahead now. I want to be known as the best, the top, tech phenomenon. Tell me I can’t do something, and I’ll do it ten times better and ten times faster. I had a previous partner that told me I would be nothing without him and I’ve let that statement drive me. It has propelled me into success in all aspects of my life. My drive also comes from my obsession to contribute. Not only contribute by creating connections but also by funding and helping to fuel other female founders’ dreams and businesses.As a female in the tech industry, are there any difficulties you’ve faced and how did you overcome it?Many people don’t take you seriously or waste your time. I also think being young and beautiful is looked down upon but I use it as my superpower! Beauty gets you in the doors, but brains gets you to the top floor. I’ve had people waste my time with meetings disguised as potential investors but really they just want to take me out or get to know me personally. I’ve had so many people say it’s a silly idea and it will never work. I’ve had people question my lack of experience and cast doubt on my ability to thrive… I laugh! They obviously don’t know I’m a force to be reckoned with. I am driven by naysayers. I let the hate fuel me.FUNDING. We are about to close our pre-seed round at $950,000 USD! Which is absolutely incredible for a first-time female tech founder and unheard of.How do you and your product team approach innovation within the company?Community Portals: We now have our first portal launched for the international expat community in Dubai. We have started to localise the product to be Shariah-aligned for Islamic marriage connections for the local communities across the GCC. We cannot wait to serve and create more connections for all communities with the ever-expansion of our new portals.AI: I am so excited to catapult MAXION into the next stratosphere with all of the AI concierge services we have planned. We are not only a matchmaking concierge for connections, but we will soon take over your social life and be your pocket concierge for all of your social needs. More to be revealed soon!What are your top tips in building authentic and elevated connections, online and offline?Be you! My favourite quote of all time is by Dr. Seuss ‘No one is you-er than you’. I relate this to business as in no one can do what you do so keep your head straight and focused on your own path and prize. I also relate this to relationships. Being your authentic self is the number one key to attracting the right people for you. In this day and age where everyone is obsessed with image and social media, people complain about the lack of authenticity as most people feel like carbon copies of what they see online. Instead embrace your quirks and your uniqueness and shine brighter than ever. Stand on a pedestal built on your accomplishments, successes, and character. This is the foundation of who you are and your ideal people are going to put you on that pedestal for those exact reasons. Shine bright and don’t let anyone dim your shine!This is The Tech Issue – what technology has been a game-changer in your life and how so?I am obsessed with my Oura Ring! I get up every morning and immediately check my sleep data and my readiness score. It is so accurate and I get a high form seeing the little crowns for optimal readiness.February’s – The Tech Issue with Christiana Maxion  – Download Now– For more on luxury lifestyle, news, fashion and beauty follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and Instagram More

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      The Dubai Match Maker on the pivots that led her to build an AI-powered matchmaking app

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      Life

      by Camille Macawili
      2 hours ago

      Christiana Maxion aka “The Dubai Match Maker”, on how her pivots led her to finding her path, including being the Founder of an AI-powered social matchmaking app.
      What do the first 30 minutes of your day look like, your morning routine?
      I hate to say but the first thing I do is reach for my phone. With clients all over the world and a team in all time zones, I check my phone first to see if I need to address anything critical. This is then followed by walking my toy poodle Toby in the garden then a coffee on my terrace with a view of the Burj Khalifa journaling. I journal every single day — my gratitude list, goals, and ways to contribute/ add value to others. The more you give, the more you receive.
      You’ve been fearless in changing your career – can you expand on this?
      My early studies and career were in Finance, but I changed course into Education. I had a very successful career as a curriculum coordinator, teacher trainer, school leader, and published author. I used to run a former Instagram account. I ran ‘dating in Dubai’ and what l learned from having that account was that people hated dating in Dubai and I was baffled! You can literally date the entire map here and the most incredible, ambitious people I have ever met have been living in Dubai. I’ve always been a solution seeker and took this as my next challenge to overcome… I’m going to solve dating in Dubai! With the introduction of new long-term visas, the amazing way the UAE dealt with the pandemic, and new laws promoting more freedom in dating and partnership, I decided to consult a legal team about the legalities of opening a professional matchmaking business here in Dubai. I got the green light in 2021 and opened my agency: Christiana Maxion Solutions. Only seven months into the launch of my agency, I was contacted by matchmaking giants Patti Stanger’s Millionaire’s Club and Cinqe Matchmaking to join forces to expand globally and enter into a formal partnership. This new affiliation not only marked a significant new milestone for Christiana Maxion Solutions, but also provides our clients with unlimited matchmaking opportunities across the globe, giving our clients an even greater chance of meeting “the one”.
      We work with the most sought-after HNWIs and UHNWIs in the world. Each has built empires with undeniable levels of success. Hiring a matchmaker isn’t their last resort, it’s their only option. The extreme success and high demand of my core business as a matchmaker to HNWI and UHNWI have led to the creation of my app: MAXION: Match & Meet. It is the first AI-powered social matchmaking concierge app, and a way to bring my niche services to the masses. As a first-time tech founder, there have been many highs and some lows, but entering a new world of tech forced me to learn and learn quickly! I’ve had people try to scam me, purposefully lead me down the wrong direction, and steal ideas… but I am so firm in my belief that I am going to change so many people’s lives with the connections that MAXION will create, that I have been so focused and only see success for us.
      MAXION is an AI-powered social matchmaking concierge. How can AI help in analyzing potential relationships?
      AI is a term that is now used too loosely. MAXION is using AI to master compatibility and concierge, so that all our members have to focus on is connection. I can share that our members’ feedback from their meets will curate their entire dating and social experience to help them find success. Our systems are based on the 96% success rate of my core business of matchmaking HNWIs.

      How has this been optimized to ensure the product is user-friendly?
      We are sharing our app with 500 selected beta testers. The team that built the billion-dollar app Calm, Gymshark, Marks & Spencer and many others, is now building MAXION: Match & Meet. This beta testing will ensure we can optimise the UX – we are working with both AI and real-life humans and connections here, so yes, it has to be right, and it has to provide the convenience and concierge we are promising, exactly what time-poor people need. This beta testing with founder members will be crucial for further developments. What metrics do you use to measure a successful match? There are several factors and with the app, there will be an algorithm that I can’t share publicly but I will share that feedback is super important for a successful match. The more you date, the more curated the experience becomes to find success in both your social and romantic lives. Feedback is everything!
      What are new product features that set it apart from other apps?
      Besides our unique compatibility algorithm and AI enhancements, it’s in the tagline: Match & Meet. No more ghosting, flaky daters, and swiping from an endless pool of incompatible partners. All MAXION Members are extensively verified. We are NOT a free-mium product and will ensure that all MAXION Members are of a calibre that is up to your personal standard. We advise all our members to never settle. We love picky people.
      How do you approach scaling without compromising on quality?
      MAXION: Match & Meet is a way to reach a wider audience and to create so much more connection in the region. Our extreme vetting process is still a handpicked process and our tech aides in all other aspects. For the core business of the personalised matchmaking of HNWIs, I am currently expanding my matchmaking team in UAE and UK in order to keep up with the demand for our services at Christiana Maxion Solutions.
      This is The Fearlessness Issue – what is your advice on how to fearlessly approach making real-life connections?
      Be fearless in who you are and what you bring to the table. Your successes, accomplishments, achievements, character, and values are what make you unique and special in every way. Stand firm and be proud of YOU. This will attract your ideal partner. Another bit of advice that I give to daters and entrepreneurs is to be a duck. Everything rolls off your back like water off a duck’s back. Don’t let the ups and the downs get you too low or too high and keep swimming along. Stay focused on your pursuits.
      October – The Fearlessness Issue with Chaumet  – Download Now
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      in lifestyle and culture

      How I got my job as… Dubai’s leading dating coach and matchmaker

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      Welcome to the Emirates Woman weekly series ‘How I got my job as…’ where we speak to some incredible entrepreneurs and businesswomen both based in the UAE and globally to find out about their career paths that led them to where they are now; what their daily routines look like; the advice they’d give to those starting out; and the hurdles they’ve had to overcome.
      This week we chat with Christiana Maxion, the founder and CEO of Match & Meet. Known for revamping the Dubai dating scene, she launched her own matchmaking agency that offers unlimited matchmaking memberships for her clients.
      With a database of more than 40k members, Maxion has the largest GCC and Global database of female C-level executives, lawyers, entrepreneurs and models. To go through a careful scrutiny, each potential match is thoroughly vetted, interviewed and approved.
      Since launching more than 1000’s of happy couples have been matched and the memberships even include additional services such as a relationship psychologist, rapid transformational therapy, professional photos, styling and more.
      To understand her journey as a dating coach, Emirates Woman spoke to her to see how it all began and how she brings her expertise to the table.
      What was your favourite subject at school?
      I was a straight-A student in high school and went to a top university to study finance. I loved math because there was always a right or wrong answer. There was no grey area or things up for interpretation. But, in all honesty, I learned the most from life experiences rather than traditional schooling.
      What was your first job?
      I was a springboard diving coach. I used to travel the world and compete and was recruited to dive for the University of Notre Dame but incurred a career-ending injury my sophomore year. I studied Finance at university and did an internship with Merrill Lynch but decided to switch industries and get my Master’s in Education; inspired by my love for coaching and working with young kids. I taught first grade and kindergarten in the South Bronx before taking a KG1 teaching position in Abu Dhabi in 2016.
      What brought you to Dubai?
      It’s been 7 amazing years in the UAE. I’m a native New Yorker and never thought I would ever leave New York as my entire family lives within five miles of each other, but I fell in love with a boy and gave our relationship a shot, which was the initial reason for my move here. We split in early 2017 and I decided to stay because I saw so much opportunity here. The UAE is really a place where you get promoted based on merit rather than longevity and if you take action, you can build anything you can dream of. Seven years and three businesses later, I’m here in Dubai and never leaving!
      What inspired you to enter the matchmaking space?
      It all started with a comedic Instagram account. I started documenting my dating experience in 2020 and people were really drawn to my empowered dating standpoint of dating with high standards and low expectations. Plus, it was a bit cheeky so it gained some popularity. I noticed that people hated dating in Dubai (I absolutely love it) and would constantly request dating and relationship advice. I’ve always been a solution seeker and saw a need in the market for an alternative to what was currently out there. In all honesty, the most amazing people I have ever met have been living in the UAE and I wanted to be the bridge that connected them. With the introduction of new long-term visas, the amazing way the UAE dealt with the pandemic, and new laws promoting more freedom in dating and partnership, I decided to consult a legal team about the legalities of opening a professional matchmaking business here in Dubai. I got the green light in 2021 and we are now Christiana Maxion Solutions offering elite matchmaking for high-net-worth men in Dubai, London, and globally with a 96% success rate and a 40k+ database. I feel like I’ve already lived eight different lives and I’m only 34!
      Talk us through the concept of being a matchmaker.
      Our clients hire us because they are time poor and sick and tired of wasting time, effort and energy with the wrong people. They hire us to expedite the entire dating process to find their ideal partner in the most optimized timeline and environment! It’s basically outsourcing your love life to an expert that delivers results! The feedback from our clients is the heart of what I do! When you match clients with their future partners after they have been struggling for years or just missing the mark, their success fills my heart. I absolutely LOVE it!

      What are the key elements of your role?
      The key to being an excellent matchmaker is not only understanding the modern dating world of the 2020s and having impeccable EQ, but also an extensive network and resources to find the perfect partners for your client. We are a small team of six elite matchmakers who match VIP singles for love not only in Dubai, but globally. Our clients and members trust us because of our amazing stats. We have a success rate of over 95 percent, with over 30 plus years of matchmaking experience, a database of 40k plus members, 100’s of marriages made and over 1000’s of happy couples marries.We have flawless systems that guarantee a successful partnership with our unlimited matchmaking memberships of three to nine months in Dubai and worldwide. So to be a part, you apply to be a client and apply for a screening call via christianamaxion.com. If accepted after a background check, we invite you for a screening call to assess whether or not our service is right for you. Then a preliminary match session takes place. If we believe we can help you find success, we will invite you for a (paid) video call to present you with qualified potential matches from our current database. This is an opportunity for you to give us feedback on your preferences and see your matchmaking candidates before securing a package. We use this call to assess how well we will get on as a matchmaker and client. After accepting a formal contract with an offer is sent across. Our current retainer fees for unlimited matchmaking packages range from $25,000 – $120,000 USD. Then the dating process begins. The more you date, the more curated the experience becomes to find your results, which is why we offer unlimited matchmaking opportunities during your membership. Later there’s a 360 ELEVATION (hands-on approach) where some clients will choose a more hands-on approach, which is my customized 360 elevation process. This can be anything from rapid transformational therapy, personal training, nutritional meal plan packages, personal styling, dental, coaching, and more! And, some clients prefer a more hands-off approach with only interviewing, vetting and curating the dating process. All packages include planning, booking, confirming dates, managing communication and feedback to optimize the matchmaking experience. We are in a very fortunate enough position where we get to choose our clients, which is why our success rate is so high.
      Talk us through your daily routine.
      No two days are the same, but I always make time for fitness. Whether tennis, golf, weightlifting, yoga or pilates. A healthy body leads to a clear mind which leads to great decision making and execution. Days can be filled with interviewing potential matches, planning dates, picking up gifts for dates for clients, booking services for clients (360 elevation), events, and all things that go into my new venture: building my app MAXION: Match & Meet
      What advice do you have for anyone looking to follow in the same footsteps?
      Apply to be on my team! I am currently expanding my team in the UAE and UK and looking to add ambitious women with outstanding personalities and a passion for connection. You can apply here.
      What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
      No means try harder or you’re asking the wrong person. Remember, you only need one yes to make something happen. My dad ingrained in my brain from an early age that there’s nothing worse in this world than wasted talent. I always strive to be outstanding.
      And what is the worst?
      Don’t pay yourself a salary.
      What’s the biggest challenge you have had to overcome?
      Expanding my services into the tech world, building my app and being a first-time tech founder! All of the pains and lessons learned from failed co-founders, people taking advantage of you and underestimating you. But I love it! Tell me I can’t do something… the hate fuels me and inspires me to be outstanding in all that I do. I’m going to be a billionaire by 40.

      What’s your future for the brand?
      The incredible success and high demand of the core business of matchmaking HNWI has led to the creation of my app MAXION: Match & Meet. MAXION: Match & Meet is the first AI-Powered Social Matchmaking Concierge for ambitious individuals in expat-dominated cities in the GCC. Birthed from the 96% success rate of my core business of matchmaking high net worth individuals across the globe, MAXION will serve a much wider audience and create an exclusive space designed for accomplished and ambitious individuals to meet compatible friends and partners. We are mastering compatibility and concierge, so all you have to focus on is connection. In a city like Dubai, where you outsource everything, why not outsource your social life to the experts. www.themaxion.com And a television show.
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