MAXSTER

I’m Max Miller, a ninth-generation Vermonter, a father, a recovering addict, a musician, and a self-taught software developer. I didn't write my first line of code until February 2026. Before that, AI was something I was curious about—not something I imagined would completely change my life. One tutorial, one screenshot, one conversation, and thousands of mistakes later, I found myself doing something I never expected: waking up excited to write software every single morning.

I grew up on a New Age commune in Vermont where potlucks, music, gardens, lifelong friendships, and muddy adventures were everyday life. I always joke that I was raised in a barn—and I'm proud of it. My childhood was filled with building go-karts, tree houses, Lego cities, snow forts, sandcastles by the river, skipping rocks, and getting into every kind of harmless shenanigan imaginable with my best friend of nearly 40 years, Clancy Harris, and my lifelong friends from France, Marcel and Rémi. That curiosity has never left me.

Music was my first obsession. My dad worked in a music store, so after hours I got to play some of the nicest guitars in Vermont as loudly as I wanted. My first live performance was at my sixth-grade graduation. I was never classically trained, but I learned to read sheet music and eventually played in a band called Drop Trou. Looking back, teaching myself music prepared me to teach myself programming.

The idea for Maxster came from one question that never stopped following me: “Where do I know that guy from?” I'd constantly recognize actors but couldn't remember their names. Eventually I started joking, “If I had my app, I'd know who that is.” I had grown tired of pulling out my phone every time I recognized an actor, searching for the movie or TV show, finding the right cast member, and hoping I had the correct name. I wanted one tap to answer the question that millions of us ask: “Where do I know that guy from?” One day I realized I was tired of wishing that app existed, so I started learning from videos, pictures, and AI and turned that idea into reality. Today, that's exactly what Maxster does—it answers “Where do I know that guy from?” with a single click. What surprised me most wasn't that it worked—it was how much fun I had building it.

Most mornings I wake up around 6:00 a.m. and write code until it's time to go to work or bring my son, Logan, to school. Maxster has grown to more than 20,000 lines of code on one of the least expensive Windows laptops my mom could find years ago. Every scan that works reminds me how far this project has come from a simple idea.

Recovery changed the direction of my life. I've been free from opiates for more than ten years and alcohol-free since September 16, 2020. During addiction I made choices I'm still ashamed of, and I know how dark that road can become. I'm one of the lucky ones who made it out. Today, when I hand someone a few dollars on the street, I tell them, “I know how it goes. You can get your life back.” I believe that with all my heart.

My dream isn't simply to build a successful app. I want Maxster to become a household name that answers the timeless question, “Where do I know that guy from?” More importantly, I want its success to help people. I hope it grows large enough to make meaningful donations to the recovery centers that helped save my life, help reduce the stigma surrounding addiction and homelessness, and prove that a person doesn't need the perfect education, perfect equipment, or a perfect past to build something meaningful. If you're interested in Maxster—as an investor, developer, journalist, or simply someone who believes in underdogs—I would truly love to hear from you. Thank you for being part of this journey.