Maxime Chaury : from Sciences Po to the fastest-growing tech coffee chain in Asia
Maxime Chaury is the managing director of Flash Coffee Indonesia, a tech-enabled coffee chain providing high-quality yet affordable coffee in over 80 stores. He is also President of Sciences Po Alumni Indonesia. In the following article, he reflects on how Sciences Po helped him become the successful entrepreneur he is today.
By Kelly Smits, a joint master’s student studying journalism and environmental policy at Sciences Po.
Maxime Choury, directeur de Flash Coffee en Indonésie (Crédits : DR).
Throughout his childhood, Maxime Chaury moved around a lot. Every three years or so, his family would pack up and move for his father’s work. He had to meet new people, make new friends, and adapt to new environments with every move, from rural departments like Corrèze in the center of France to bustling cities like Nantes on the west coast. Although he is French, some of his family members have Eastern European origins, and when he was nine years old, they welcomed his younger brother and sister from Ethiopia into the family.
Because of his dynamic and diverse upbringing, Maxime has always been an inquisitive person, curious about the world around him. “When I was a kid, I was passionate about geography. I was fascinated by all of the countries and their GDPs, populations, capitals, and flags.” So when it later came time to apply for university, his top choice to build upon his interest in the world was obvious: Sciences Po.
Once he was at Sciences Po, Maxime studied liberal arts during his bachelor’s before pursuing a master’s degree in international management, specializing in emerging economies. His studies at Sciences Po provided him with a broad and deep understanding of the social sciences—like economics, law, politics, and sociology—that shape the world. “All of this social science knowledge is very helpful to analyze, understand, and act in organizations.”
“« At Sciences Po, you gain a deep understanding of how humans function individually and in groups, whereas business school has a more instrumental, skills-based approach. »”
One of his most memorable professors was French economist Etienne Wasmer for a microeconomics course. “I came from a scientific high school, specializing in math, so I hadn’t done any economics before. He was an excellent professor, and it was the first time in my life I was approaching my reflections through an economic lens.” Maxime’s reflections on autonomous economic agents in Wasmer’s course set the stage for his later entrepreneurial pursuits.
During his master’s studies, he took a gap year for two internships doing business analysis and development in Vietnam. It was through these internships that Maxime got his first taste of international business, and he quickly realized that it was the kind of fast-paced environment in which he wanted to work. Maxime says he also likes the objective-driven, strategic mindset needed to work in startups specifically, as well as the need to be close to the situation on the ground to make good, well-informed decisions for your team.
After completing his studies at Sciences Po, and knowing he wanted to pursue an entrepreneurial career, Maxime went on to a double degree business program between ESSEC and Seoul National University. He says that his studies at Sciences Po were very different but complementary to his business school education. “At Sciences Po, you gain a deep understanding of how humans function individually and in groups, whereas business school has a more instrumental, skills-based approach.”
Sciences Po also emphasizes the importance of public speaking. “At Sciences Po there is really this belief that interaction is key, and so we really learn to debate and exchange ideas on any subject, in any kind of setting, and that is a very valuable skill to have in life.”
“« Southeast Asia in many ways is similar to Europe in that it is a relatively small area where you have so many different people, countries, languages, cultures, and religions all integrated politically and economically through ASEAN, like the European Union. It is really diverse, even more diverse than Europe. And of course, you have warm people and warm weather. »”
Equipped with his social science background and business expertise, Maxime started his post-grad career doing strategy consulting in Northern and Western Africa before transitioning to tech startup work in Southeast Asia, first as the managing director of Zen Rooms in Malaysia and now as managing director of Flash Coffee in Indonesia. “You add a lot to your plate when you work in startups. You manage a team with a 360-degree view, and you have to move faster to catch up with your growth. It’s more challenging, but more rewarding.”
Maxime emphasizes the rewards and challenges that come with building, supporting, and managing a team. “You build relationships, recruit people, and accompany them on their growth. So, it’s really this human experience of interaction and learning that goes both ways that is extremely rewarding. But everyone is different, and you cannot be right all the time. So that’s also a source of learning. Sometimes you don’t do exactly the best thing, so you need to push further to understand better, especially when working in spaces with a lot of different cultures, personalities, and geographies.”
One goal : becoming the favorite coffee brand of Indonesians
The vast diversity and multiculturalism in Southeast Asia are some of the things that Maxime appreciates most about the region. Ever since his first work experience abroad during internships in Vietnam, he fell in love with this part of the world. “Southeast Asia in many ways is similar to Europe in that it is a relatively small area where you have so many different people, countries, languages, cultures, and religions all integrated politically and economically through ASEAN, like the European Union. It is really diverse, even more diverse than Europe. And of course, you have warm people and warm weather.” Maxime adds that Southeast Asia is a fast-growing, democratic, and stable region, so it is a great place to learn about and grow a business.
Looking to the future, Maxime says he has a lot still to learn from Flash Coffee as it continues to grow. His goal is for it to become the favorite coffee brand of Indonesians, energizing them to achieve their goals while encouraging them with Flash Coffee’s motto: “dare to be different.” He emphasizes that “it’s more than just a cup of coffee.”
Although the future is full of uncertainty, Maxime finds certainty through his favorite quote from Roman African playwright Terence: “Nothing that is human is alien to me.” Regardless of what the future holds, he will continue to explore the possibilities the world has to offer, learning through trial and error. It is this same outlook that Maxime imparts on current Sciences Po students hoping to pursue a career in the challenging but rewarding world of startups.
