Maximilian Reiff: Entrepreneur on the Road

What seemed an adventurous decision to move to Shanghai four years ago has transformed Maximilian Reiff ‘17 from a gifted squash athlete into an emerging entrepreneur who intends to transplant the promising business model of “shared bikes” from China to the United States -- with a twist.

The Business and Finance major, together with a fellow classmate, has been working to introduce a “bike-sharing” startup to the New York campus shortly after graduation, as he finds the current option to be very limiting: it costs riders too much time and effort to be bound to fixed docking stations which are sparsely scattered around the city.

“The system in China is amazing. People simply unlock bikes along their route by scanning a QR code and place them according to wherever their journey ends. It’s limitless,” said the 22-year-old. “The concept could be applied to the New York campus as well as others, where students need to shuttle between dorms and different academic buildings in order to get to class on time.”

As the idea burgeons, Reiff works relentlessly between classes and spare time conducting market research, negotiating with suppliers, and reaching out to potential new markets. He said the most difficult part is building fruitful collaborations with different universities and municipalities in the US while being on another continent 7,400 miles away. Delightedly, he has already received “the green light” to test the idea in some southern parts of the country.

What seemed a tremendous challenge to many does not intimidate the Philadelphia native, who has grown experienced at networking in China, having spent much of his vacation time at NYU Shanghai traveling around in search of innovative business opportunities.

“I’ve been thinking of starting a business for a long time, and being at NYU Shanghai was the catalyst to make it happen,” he said.

Over the past four years, Reiff has also taken several business-related courses, which have equipped him with necessary skillsets required as an entrepreneur. 

In the course Doing Business in China with Professor Heini Shi, Reiff was exposed to valuable insights regarding the rapid development of the Chinese economy over the past few decades. “Professor Shi has been instrumental in my approach towards discovering China and all that it has to offer. Beyond the classroom, she now advises me on how to efficiently navigate the never ending slew of regulations and cultural differences across continents,” said Reiff.

Another course that Reiff benefited substantially from was Advanced Organizational Communication taught by Professor Brian Hanssen, where he polished his communication and public speaking skills. “The techniques learned from the class have transformed me into an able presenter and are proving significant in my quest to secure funding,” he added.

Studying away in Tel Aviv, Israel during his junior year, Reiff interned for four months at Hewlett Packard’s Software Incubation Program, where he practiced the lean startup methodology and helped the company bring employees’ business ideas to life.

Outside the classroom, Reiff is also a competitive, nationally-ranked squash player. “Before coming to Shanghai, I had big plans to be a collegiate athlete in the US, but a visit to NYU Shanghai changed that,” said Reiff. “What makes NYU Shanghai so special to me is how diverse the students here are, and how much you can learn from each and every one. We are all hardworking and inspire each other to be better.”

Before graduating, Reiff plans on spending the rest of his time in China exploring business-related events, and looks forward to returning to the US to develop his business, after donning his cap and gown.

“Being an NYU Shanghai student is one of the best choices I’ve ever made -- the fact that I can go anywhere in the world and have a friend there is invaluable,” Reiff added.