Meet Costantino

When I was young, I envied everyone who confidently answered the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" as I didn't know what I wanted to be. This question frightened me.. I was afraid to admit that I had no clue because I didn't want to be treated like an outsider or considered abnormal. I just wanted to be "normal."

 

Later on, I realized that being "normal" and being happy couldn't align on the same path. So, I made the decision to forge my own path, one that makes me happy.

 

I'm Greek-Italian, raised in Greece, studied in the UK, and worked in Switzerland, Italy, and Belgium. I've never liked borders; I've never understood why I need a passport to travel.

 

The physical world with borders, stereotypes, conventional constraints, social barriers with a lot of shoulds and musts was too narrow for me. When I was introduced to the world of computers in the early '90s, I knew that technology was the medium to implement my vision, to develop a world beyond limitations, and the beginning of a journey. Technology, for me, was the ticket to evolution, the ticket to develop a world that is beyond every limitation, the ticket to change the world for the better.

 

And that was the beginning of a journey that made me realize that technology is not enough. Culture needs to evolve too.

 

I never understood why digital content cannot be downloaded based on my physical location. This digital platform is not yet accessible in my country. The fact that I have to provide my personal demographics to subscribe to a digital space only emphasizes the need to connect everywhere in the world.

 

I believe that the internet is the eighth wonder of the world. It allows us to ask a question to billions of people and receive billions of answers in seconds. 

 

Why do we apply physical rules to the digital space? Why do we insist on replicating a physical environment when we can build a virtual world from scratch, with the purpose of developing a better world? Toward evolution.

 

I remember having these thoughts while being in a high-paying position at the headquarters of a global company. I sent my resignation email and signed a contract with myself to follow my vision of building a world based on freedom, sustainability, and inclusivity.

 

I woke up the next morning, stepped out of the door, and let the snow fall on my face, symbolizing the blank slate I had started. 

 

Starting my journey to implement my vision, which is to create a borderless, genderless world with no gravity or physical limitations, no stereotypical demographics, or social restrictions. A world where everyone is immortal, and aging is not even an option. A world with an infinite market and profitable business opportunities. A world built on the foundation of sustainability, inclusivity, and diversity.

 

In 2016, I founded Weird Authentic People, the first digital branding agency with avatars communicating with customers instead of people. I narrated the story of a superhero gang that helps emerging brands steal market share from conglomerates, and I succeeded in doing so!

 

In 2018, I worked at Milan Fashion Week and collaborated with Balkan Fashion Week, successfully creating an international profile for seven emerging brands through the power of storytelling.

 

In 2020, I founded NTZNS (NeTiZeNS) as a digital fashion marketplace aimed at helping designers connect directly with their audience, eliminating intermediary steps.

 

In 2021, NTZNS was nominated as the best European startup and collaborated with an army of fashion influencers and designers, adorned their social media and gaming avatars. We also created virtual showrooms to share fashion stories and connect creators with their audience and brands.

 

By 2022, NTZNS had become the leading metaverse creative studio, introducing the Avatar Economy as the foundation of sustainability, inclusivity, and diversity. Under these principles, we created a social and business Metaverse space called "Netizens World" with the collaboration of international schools, universities, and tech companies.

 

In 2023, NTZNS was awarded a place on the list of the 100 most innovative tech companies worldwide.