We’ll come right out and say it – Maximize indeed seems like one of the most interesting startups to have come out of Bahrain in recent times. The startup has a unique platform that is equally fun and educational for people of pretty much all ages.
Simply put, if there is a hobby, a skill, or an activity that you’re interested in but haven’t quite been able to manage the time yet to learn and pursue, odds are there that Maximize can help you change that.
We recently got together with Hanan Merza, Co-Founder of Maximize, to learn more about the platform and its future plans. Here’s an overview of everything she shared with us:
What is Maximize?
As the company likes to describe itself, Maximize is a platform that enables people to easily discover fun live interactive experiences. It is designed such that you can easily explore hobbies and learn new skills in a fun-environment shared with other like-minded people.
Maximize enables users to learn from both in-person, as well as online experiences. You can simply visit the website and browse through a diverse range of experiences or activities.
Who is it for and what kind of activities are included?
Maximize prides itself as a platform that has something for everyone regardless of age or gender.
Out of practice with your guitar? Well, simply book a slot for yourself in one of the available guitar-specific classes/workshops like this one over here.
Want to woo your Instagram followers with eye-popping photography clicked with no expensive gears but just your smartphone? Well, Maximize has got that covered too. All you need to do is book your slot in an online class dedicated to mobile photography and fine-tune your photography skills.
So far, Maximize includes activities and lessons in art, cooking, music, and photography. Although, the startup plans on expanding that list by adding new interests and hobbies at regular intervals.
What’s so unique about Maximize?
Hanan told us: “We aim to provide space for people to explore themselves through a variety of experiences. [….] We focus on monetizing talents and bringing back culture and traditions.”
The experiences and activities offered by Maximize are designed such that they defy the stereotypes that prompt people to associate learning with commitment and boredom. You can check this out for yourself by simply visiting the website.
You’ll see that most of the Maximize courses are pretty short and goal-oriented, which means you do not have to commit to a year-long program or anything of that sort.
There’s no exam at the end of the program either, which means you are not forced to devote any more time than you can afford to. Just try your hand in a new activity and have fun while also learning and honing your skills along the way.
In fact, most of the activities available on Maximize take around two to three hours max, which is something almost everyone can manage to develop new skills.
We also asked Hanan if users receive any certifications after completing an experience. She replied: “Not really; as it goes against the value we are here to provide, we don’t want people’s motivation of attending an experience is to get a certificate that actually makes them feel good about themselves but rather leave the experience actually learning something beneficial they can apply in their day to day life.”
Affordable price makes compared to the value provided
The best part, the vast majority of Maximize experiences are reasonably priced and hover somewhere in the range of 10 BD to 20 BD. This way, you can easily participate in as many activities as you want whenever you feel like spending a couple of hours on something fun and productive.
You can even learn complementary skills. For example, after having your fair share of fun in a quick guitar workshop, you can throw in another 10-12 BD to join a workshop dedicated to singing.
Monetize your hobbies
Learning new skills in a fun, goal-oriented, and easily-accessible platform is great in its own right. But Maximize wants to go a step further by helping users explore the possibilities of monetizing their hobbies or interests.
“We focus on monetizing talents and bringing back culture and traditions,” Hanan noted.
Maximize is an open-to-all platform. It doesn’t matter if you’re a hobbyist or a professional, if you have a skill that others are interested in learning — singing or painting, for example — you can also offer interactive online or in-person classes using Maximize’s well-oiled platform.
Alternatively, you can also learn traditional arts and crafts such as pottery or woodwork to start a new side gig to supplement your income.
Conclusion
All Maximize experiences are interactive and practical, entertaining, and are designed to teach with something new. To enhance the quality of the experiences, Maximize has roped in a pool of expert trainers for each category.
“These trainers are equipped with all the resources and know-how to offer a fun way to learn new things by sparking people’s creativity and curiosity. In fact, this was pretty much the core objective that led to the birth of Maximize, said Hanan.”
Given the higher-than-usual growth that Maximize has experienced throughout the COVID-19 lockdown due to the online experiences offered on the platform, the startup has decided to continue offering both online, as well as in-person activities. Moving on, it plans on onboarding more international trainers to expand the scope and reach of the platform.
So, what are you waiting for — go check out the Maximize portal if you’re interested in learning new skills and having new experiences with like-minded individuals.
Meanwhile, if you have any questions or feedback, feel free to reach out to StartUp Bahrain using our social media channel on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn!
