James Wong has built MAXA Designs into a major design technology platform serving real estate and mortgage, growing the company into a profitable, self-funded business that now supports more than 250 enterprise brands and 400,000 sales professionals nationwide. At 33, Wong leads a 100-person company that has grown for 13 consecutive years while remaining deeply involved in product, culture and client strategy.
The past year marked one of the most significant periods in MAXA’s history. In November 2025, Wong closed a major partnership with REAL Brokerage, integrating MAXA’s platform into the brokerage’s tech ecosystem and extending the company’s reach to more than 400,000 sales associates. He also expanded relationships with companies including FirstTeam Real Estate, PennyMac, Lower, HomeSmart, William Raveis and AD Mortgage, helping accelerate growth from 30% to 45% year over year.
On the product side, Wong personally directs MAXA’s 50-person research and development team, which introduced AI content generation, automated MLS-to-marketing workflows and hyper-targeted direct mail capabilities over the past year. Industry recognition followed, including Tech Trendsetter honors from HousingWire and multiple Top Tech for Brokerages recognitions from Inman and T3 Sixty.
Wong also created the Exhibit Awards, a national platform recognizing brand design excellence in real estate and mortgage. In 2025, he expanded the program by bringing HousingWire in as the official media partner and adding a mortgage category.
He remains closely involved in every part of the company, from product direction to hiring, and has built a culture marked by long-term loyalty, strong retention and deep client trust.
What is one thing you would tell a younger version of yourself?
Invest in understanding people before you invest in understanding technology. I spent tens of thousands of dollars on leadership development courses before I ever built a product, and everyone thought I was wasting my time. That foundation is the reason MAXA exists today. The companies I serve don’t stay for the software alone. They stay because my team understands their business, their challenges and their people at a level most vendors never reach. I would tell my younger self: the thing that feels like a detour is actually the shortcut.
Name:
James Wong
Age:
33
Title:
Chief Executive Officer
Company Name:
MAXA Designs
