Vas Bakopoulos

Bio:

I am a Digital Strategist and Entrepreneur. My current role is Vice President / Group Director @ Digitas in New York. Before that I was a founding partner at mbriyo.com, an incubator for new technology startups. Over the last 12 years I have worked in multiple geographies and industries, covering management consulting, brand identity, communications, consumer insights and digital media. I have also served on the advisory board of a number of companies (m2cmedia, mirus + partners). I hold an MBA in Finance and Banking and a Bsc in Economics.

• Title: Vice President, Group Director at Digitas
• Age: 39
• Location: Westchester
• Contact: @gorecki36

On your LinkedIn profile it states that at Digitas you are a Venture Planner and that you develop disruptive marketing concepts.  Can you explain a bit about the process and what that entails?

"Venture" speaks to the fact that we want to create experiences and services that activate brands, not just ads. So there is a different type of planning involved, more pragmatic, more connected but also more exciting. There is no silver bullet process really, just a more connected approach that ensures that technology and media are not just part of implementation but also part of ideation.

On your website you state that you work in advertising in New York City, the Mecca of Ideas, good and bad. Where do you personally find inspiration for new ideas?

New York offers a lot of perspective on human behavior, creativity and excess. It’s a journey of discovery which goes beyond seeing new things. It’s more about seeing things with new eyes.

You were one of the founding partners at an incubator for new technology startups.  What were some of the biggest challenges that you came across when you were starting the incubator? 

Finding the right funding approach for very early stage startups. Managing a large portfolio of companies. Scaling successfully within and beyond NY.