A schoolboy has turned his hobby into a business so successful he’s able to buy his mother a house.
Maksym Gavrylenko attends a boarding school in Scotland, and in 2021 he and two friends bought a little-used Minecraft server for £1,000.
But the 17-year-old has now sold the server – and earned enough money to buy his mum a new home after she fled their war-torn homeland of Ukraine.
His mum is currently staying with friends in Portugal, but his grandparents would not leave Kyiv and his sister stayed behind as her partner had signed up to defend their country.
Maksym is a pupil at Lomond School in Helensburgh, in Argyll and Bute, and it’s thanks to his brother who works in tech and the school that led his hobby to become a lucrative business.
He said: ‘I am very proud that I was able to turn my passion into a profitable business and I plan on treating my mother.
‘As a result of the war, she was forced to flee her home, leaving her homeless, so to buy her a property will make all the hours spent on this project worthwhile.
‘We never imagined it would develop into a viable business opportunity, but with guidance from my brother who works in tech, and the school, I was encouraged to explore the possibilities to turn it into something bigger.
‘I don’t know what the future holds, but I’ve always had an interest in business having worked as a part-time translator and a writer in Ukraine.
‘As well as having a passion for gaming, I really enjoyed the entrepreneurial side of our project, and I have applied to universities around the world to study business management.’
After buying the Minecraft server two years ago Maksym and his friends made big changes which led to a huge rise in players.
He ran the server, which allows players from all over the world to connect and play together, from his bedroom.
Advertisers were attracted to the server, which increased its value, and Maksym sold the server following a ‘lucrative offer’ from a tech firm last month.
Johanna Urquhart, principal of Lomond School, said what Maksym had achieved was ‘absolutely incredible and added: ‘I have no doubt that this won’t be the last we hear about one of Maksym’s business ventures.’
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