Christos Perakis of Zoottle: Cool Peep of the Week
Who is this “Cool Peep”? Apple Alumni, Technology Entrepreneur, Startup Mentor and Zoottle CEO: Christos Perakis
From Newport, RI.…famous for its mansions, America’s cup, Naval Station Newport, America’s oldest existing Synagogue, one of the largest concentrations of colonial buildings, International Tennis Hall of Fame and of course beautiful beaches and bars! No wonder I never wanted to leave. When I finally did, I made it count. After graduating from URI, I worked at Apple for 13-years where I managed sixteen different countries, and lived in five of them. I recently left Apple, moved back to the US (Boston), and now lead an amazing startup filled with a talented group of individuals.
NOTE FROM CC: A little trivia for you- he is a University of Rhode Island graduate (like your OTHER fave Greek…yes, ME!), where he was the President of the Inter-Fraternity Council (IFC). Not surprising he went from Greek President to Greek CEO. GO RAMS!
Christos, what are a few of your favorite things? Vacationing in Greece, smoking a cigar (I have four-thousand of them), drinking scotch (something with tons of peat like Laphroaig), sitting on the balcony of my summer house, listening to my father tell stories about his childhood, while listening to the waves gently roll up on the beach.
When you are alone and you think no one is watching you…what quirky things are you doing? I’m clicking on and reading those annoying, yet somehow attention getting lists…”18 celebrities you didn’t know were really short”, “10 celebrities that have killed someone”, “10 best looking and most modest Rhode Islander’s”… (I made one of those up) 🙂
What are your favorite haunts? Golden Beach, Paros-Greece. The clearest, bluest and most calm water you have ever seen, gently brushing up against the super-soft, golden sand. It is also a windsurfing and kite-surfing Meca. Truly magical.
Empty your pockets – right now? BE HONEST…what did you find? Ever since I watched the Seinfeld episode where George’s giant wallet exploded, I have tried to keep pocket mass to a minimum. That being said, I still had more down there than I thought…. Besides my trusty 6-slot Mont Blanc credit card holder, I have my Fisher Space Pen (yes, it does work in space), eight business cards I picked up from today’s meetings, a receipt from Panera, six dollars in quarters (those pesky Boston parking meters) and my cigar cutter (you can always borrow a light, but where will you ever find a cigar cutter when you need it).
What is one thing that no one would ever guess about you? I am a METAL head. We’re not talking Scorpion ballads here…we’re talking about Anthrax, Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Dio and Pantera. On a relaxing day, maybe I’ll slow things down a bit and listen to some Metallica or System of a Down.
What is playing on iTunes, right now? A heavy metal song, right? Actually, it is the Hanukkah Song by Adam Sandler…. LOVE IT!
Where can we find you next? Most likely at a Boston based VC (venture capitalist), as we’re in the process of raising funds…or at a customer site where we are installing Zoottle.
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