Built By: Krenar Komoni

Krenar Komoni says he’s had the “entrepreneur bug” since he was a 14-year-old living in Prishtina, Kosovo. What began as messing around with a group of friends and computer programming, grew into joining a startup following the Kosovo War of 1998–1999.

The startup, Koha TV, gave him the chance to sharpen his animation skills and learn what it was like to be the youngest person on the team.

Since he was pushed to learn fast and think critically at a young age, Komoni has joined various startups — both in Kosovo and the United States. He came to the United States in September 2011, and studied at Norwich University, eventually pursuing a master’s degree at Tufts University.

When he arrived, he realized that there was quite a bit of difference between his past and present home. He learned that the country has always been entrepreneur- and investor-friendly.

“US is a country of immigrants, and that hunger to build something better away from our countries is what has made US the country it is today,” he said.

Drive in mind, Komoni founded Tive Inc., a provider of data designed to inform and streamline supply decisions, where he is chief executive officer.

“For all the companies that I have worked on, the unique skill that I was able to bring to the table was that of solving problems and getting things done,” Komoni said.

At Tive, this meant looking close to home when dealing with a solution. When he worked with trackers, Komoni turned to the trucks his father-in-law was managing. His father-in-law proved to be a resource, as his truck drivers spanned the whole country.

“I would get a ton of data and testing done for free,” Komoni said.

Komoni’s resourcefulness is a quality that can be drawn to his childhood, growing up in a war torn country with limited resources and opportunities.

He added that immigrants, such as himself, “are usually people like [me] who are coming from war-torn countries or from poor countries…[hoping to do] something better with their lives so that they could have a better future for their kids.”

Komoni mentioned that he lives so his children do not have to go through the “unnecessary difficulties that I went through growing up in Kosovo.”

“There are ups and downs, during every hour, every minute of the day, and without a committed persistence I do not think entrepreneurs can make [it],” he said.

Written by: Natasha Mascarenhas

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