Ben Kazez's Success Story

Founder of Mobiata

Ben Kazez used his expertise in product development, design and innovative cutting edge technologies to develop various travel apps, which turned out to be bestsellers. As a founder of Mobiata, he was able to improve the company from a single app to a powerhouse 12-person travel app, within two years, which was then acquired in 2010 November by Expedia.

Ben Kazez spent most of his youth indulging in cosmopolitan travel, enjoying classical music and good food. He continues experiencing joy in pursuing the above when he is away from his office, where he otherwise spends much time, cracking codes. His office overlooks Nickels Arcade which is a shopper’s paradise.

Ben Kazez began developing a taste for many of these exclusive pleasures when he was young. His success story begins in his early twenties. He specializes as a doctoral student at the University of Michigan in voice studies whenever he has some time on his hands. His father was a pianist and a great music professor. Ben enjoyed cooking pasta, during his school days and even travelled to Italy, because he was curious to learn the origin of the dish. He did not stop with that as he pursued his instincts for good food by travelling extensively and trying out various cuisines internationally to study more about the dish.

Ben Kazez makes no bones about the fact that he is a foodie. His love for music and food makes a great impact on his lifestyle. He stresses the difference between great food and good food by insisting that the former is “exciting” and the latter is “depressing!” He enjoys the experiences of cooking during his travels.

The start-up place where Kazez began his set up probably is the reason why he became a foodie. Ben lives near Kerrytown, where there are many food outlets and the proximity to the Farmer’s Market, makes it easy for him to check out the various joints. His Mobiata office is a good 15 minutes walk from his home. The name of the office is Flight Track where he first created the travel app for iPhone.

The Mobiata Company was taken over by Expedia within the second year, last fall and has an employee strength of 18 people, which includes six in Ann Arbour. The other employees are spread in various parts of the U.S while there are a few of the employees who continue to frequent the local office. Mobiata continues to remain a separate entitiy as Expedia is intent on letting it expand in Ann Arbor by using a “hands-off”approach. Ben Kazez continues to live in the same place though he originally hailed from southern Ohio. He has sentimental roots in Ann Arbor as his dad graduated from there and this was where Mobiata was founded.