Nikos Acuna

Nikos Acuña is an entrepreneur, digital marketing and media executive, technology futurist, and the award-winning author of Mindshare: Igniting Creativity and Innovation through Design Intelligence (Motion Publishing, 2012). Mindshare achieved critical acclaim, receiving Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year Award in Social Sciences, the USA Best Book Award in Psychology in 2012, and a 2012 Publisher recommendation for the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award. Nikos is currently the Director of Business Strategy and Marketing Technology at Rocket Fuel, a big-data adtech company which leverages artificial intelligence to create more meaningful brand experiences. Nikos is also a sought-after speaker, consultant, and blogger on topics regarding innovation, big data, design thinking, emerging technologies, and brand experience optimization. He has over fifteen years of leadership experience in designing and bringing media and marketing technology platforms to market, specializing in driving product development, go-to-market, and launch initiatives for blue-chip brands, enterprise platforms, and tech startups from end to end. He has also written, produced, directed, and starred in various lifestyle, news, travel, reality, and entertainment series, and has hosted internationally broadcasted award shows and special events. Nikos has a BA in Communication from the University of the Pacific, an MFA in Writing from the University of San Francisco, and is a Masters of Design Thinking candidate at Stanford University, and PhD Psychology candidate at Pacifica Graduate Institute. He currently lives in Chicago, Illinois