Empowering wineries to bring joy and delight to customers at every step of the wine journey
At Mitrova, innovation meets passion. Our story is shaped by the exceptional careers and shared vision of co-founders Massimiliano (Max) Mancini and Tobin (Tobin) Trevarthen. With backgrounds that span the worlds of global tech giants, media powerhouses, and trailblazing startups, they’ve combined their expertise to revolutionize how the wine industry connects with customers.
Max Mancini
Max Mancini’s career is a masterclass in combining technological innovation with human connection. Growing up in San Jose, California, he learned the art of quality and craftsmanship by working at his family’s Italia Delicatessen. At just 16, Max’s innate talent for coding earned him his first position with NASA, launching a distinguished career in technology.
Max is a military veteran who has served as an Intelligence Officer for the U.S. Army for over seven years. He has held senior technology leadership roles at the world’s most renowned companies, including Apple, eBay, Harman International, Atlassian, and most recently Collective Health. As a Vice President at eBay, he led groundbreaking initiatives in mobile commerce and global platforms, crafting digital experiences that reshaped how people shop and connect online. His tenure with Apple built and scaled Apple’s ecommerce site which had over $20B in annual sales.
Max has been the author and or co-author of five US patents. Viewing Shopping Information on a Network-Based Social Platform, Sharing shopping information on a network-based social platform, Utilization of information “push” technology, Method and system for utilizing profiles, Method and system for opportunity distribution.
His entrepreneurial spirit shone brightly as he founded Mancini di Lucca Winery in 2018, where he united his Italian heritage (Lucca) and love of wine to create something deeply personal. Max combined his passion for wine, customer delight, and technology into his role as a Fractional CTO role with Alpha Omega Winery in 2022, which led to the creation of Mitrova.
Max is eager to channel decades of experience building transformative technologies into creating platforms that inspire delight and elevate hospitality. For him, Mitrova is about bringing the elegance of the wine world together with data-driven actionable insights to craft unparalleled customer experiences. Max holds a Certificate of Winemaking from UC Davis and has taken the Introductory Course with the Court of Master Sommeliers.
Tobin Trevarthen
Tobin Trevarthen’s career is defined by his ability to lead innovation across industries and connect the dots between technology, storytelling, and human connection. He built a foundation in strategic corporate sales and innovation while working at Time Inc., Time Warner, AOL Time Warner, AOL, Gannett, and Meredith, where he created many industry firsts with Global 100 clients with some of the world’s most iconic media brands.
His journey into the wine world started in the ’90s while working with Time Inc. magazine brands Cooking Light, Sunset, and Decanter. This later became a focal point while running the West Coast for AOL, where he partnered with Wine.com to build out a wine platform on AOL. This effort led to his first investment and ownership stake in Sonoma Coast Vineyards in 2004, where he served on the board.
In 2000 and again in 2008, Tobin journeyed into the start-up world, where he was part of the executive team for AllAdvantage, Anchor Intelligence (acquired by Comscore), Everloop, and Aha Radio (acquired by Harman International).
In 2017, Tobin moved to Napa and relaunched Spatial Shift by Tobin as a portfolio consultancy for CEOs, founders, and startups seeking to drive transformative change to their industries. He’s been instrumental in helping global companies design strategic narratives that raised over $1B in funding as well as several public and private market exits.
Tobin rekindled his hands-on passion for the wine business becoming a partner in Kitchen Collective, an urban cooking in Napa (2018 - 2020), and has been a winery hospitality ambassador at Silver Trident Winery since 2021. With Mitrova, Tobin is bringing this ethos to life by focusing on how technology can enhance the way wineries and wine lovers connect on a deeper, more meaningful level with their customers. Tobin holds a WSET 2 Wine and Spirits certification.
Shared Vision
Max and Tobin’s paths converged at Aha Radio between 2012 and 2014, where they collaborated on technology that defined the connected car experience. Their partnership was built on a shared belief in the power of innovation to create human connection. But their passion for wine—born from Max’s family heritage and Tobin’s appreciation of discovery—fueled a new idea: transforming the wine industry through technology that enhances hospitality and customer delight at every customer touchpoint.
Mitrova’s flagship platform, VinJourney™, is the manifestation of their expertise. Designed to make wineries more connected and customers more engaged, it delivers actionable intelligence that helps wineries craft unforgettable experiences. Together, Max and Tobin are redefining what it means to connect with customers in the world of wine.
Building a Legacy of Delight
With Mitrova, Max and Tobin are doing more than building a platform—they’re creating a movement. By merging their technological expertise with a deep understanding of hospitality and human connection, they are empowering wineries to bring joy and delight to every step of the wine journey. Something they call Actionable Delight.