Meet: Amalia Agathou, 18 Havas London
The timing in the rise of new technologies can trigger new innovations
Early stage startups that have close to zero marketing budgets are great inspiration for reaching wide audiences and building buzz with very little means.
Where do you come from and how did you end up working at 18?
I am from Corfu, Greece and my career path isn’t linear. I studied Information and Communication Systems Engineering, with a soft spot for databases and information security. I started my first company during my last year of school, while I also, very serendipitously, got a job at Glamour and House & Garden. I went on to work at The Next Web at first as an editor and then as a marketing director.
Next stop was London College of Fashion where I developed and ran a fashion tech accelerator program. Afterwards, I freelanced as a consultant with big companies that wanted to tap into the startup ecosystem and smaller companies and VCs that wanted to refine their business proposition. Today, I’m leading XVIII out of Havas Village in London.
What’s the most exciting innovation on the market now? What is defining the next 18 months to you?
There are plenty of exciting innovations announced daily around VR, AI, and robotics. But what I find most interesting is the timing in the rise of these new technologies and how they can trigger new innovations. For instance, the rise of AR and VR could finally mean that wearables will have a meaningful place in our daily lives, or robotics in production could impact sustainable consumerism. I think in the next 18 months there will also be a more collaborative approach in corporate innovation, something we already see with corporations partnering up to develop innovation outposts like accelerators. Apart from that, I can’t wait to get in one of Dubai’s flying taxis soon ;)
What’s a great example of innovative marketing in your opinion?
Momondo, a Denmark-based flight comparison company, offered free trips based on DNA ancestry. They partnered with the DNA testing company AncestryDNA to run a competition that would enable the winners not only to know their heritage but also visit their places of origin. I think in general early stage startups that have close to zero marketing budgets are great inspiration for reaching wide audiences and building buzz with very little means.
What’s your favorite TV series, movie, video game, or music (pick one or two), and why?
I love my reality TV, no shame or guilt here. In fact I think if more people watched Toddlers and Tiaras, they wouldn’t be as shocked with Trump’s rise to power and would greatly improve their presentation skills.
