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Our Story

About Us

Founded 1989

35 Years of Moving the World Upward

ELEVATE Co. was founded in 1989 by Marcus Chen and Elena Voronova — a structural engineer and an industrial designer — with a simple but revolutionary belief: that vertical transportation didn't have to be purely utilitarian. It could be beautiful, intelligent, and human.

What started as a small workshop in Frankfurt has grown into a global company with manufacturing plants on three continents, installations in 48 countries, and a reputation as the benchmark for elevator excellence.

Today, led by a second generation of the founding families, ELEVATE Co. continues to push the boundaries of what an elevator can be — introducing AI-driven controls, carbon-neutral manufacturing, and partnerships with the world's leading architects.

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Our Mission

To design and deliver vertical transportation systems that blend safety, sustainability, and beauty — improving lives in every building we touch.

Our Values

Precision. Innovation. Integrity. Sustainability. Human-centric design. These aren't buzzwords — they're the principles every decision at ELEVATE Co. is measured against.

Milestones

Our Journey

1989
Founded in Frankfurt

Marcus Chen and Elena Voronova establish ELEVATE Co. in a small workshop, manufacturing their first 6 residential elevator units.

1997
First Commercial Contract

Wins landmark contract to supply 24 high-speed units for the Nordhaven Tower, Copenhagen — putting ELEVATE Co. on the European map.

2005
Global Expansion

Opens manufacturing facilities in Singapore and São Paulo. Reaches 5,000 installations worldwide milestone.

2012
VISTA Series Launch

Launches the world's first fully modular panoramic elevator system, winning the German Design Award.

2018
Carbon Neutral Manufacturing

Achieves carbon-neutral status across all manufacturing plants, ahead of a 2025 industry target.

2024
AI-Powered Controls

Launches ElevateIQ™ — a machine-learning destination dispatch system that reduces passenger wait times by 40%.

Leadership

The Team Behind the Vision

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Marcus Chen Jr.
CEO & Co-Founder

Structural engineer turned visionary leader. 30 years shaping the elevator industry.

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Dr. Lena Voronova
Chief Technology Officer

Pioneer of regenerative elevator drives and AI-powered traffic management systems.

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Antoine Dubois
Chief Design Officer

Former lead at a top Parisian architecture firm. Brings haute-couture sensibility to cabin design.

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Priya Nair
Chief Operations Officer

Logistics and manufacturing expert with 20 years scaling operations across Asia-Pacific.

Credentials

Certified Excellence

ISO 9001:2015
Quality Management

EN 81-20
Safety of Lifts

CE Marked
European Compliance

Carbon Neutral
Certified 2018

Behind the Scenes

Our World

Join the ELEVATE Family

Whether you're a developer, architect, or building owner — we'd love to discuss your next project.