Data Artisans: The path from Ioannina to the takeover by Alibaba

"The obstacle to the company's growth speed was the speed at which I was learning.”

The Outliers podcast by Endeavor Greece welcomes Kostas Tzoumas, Founder of Data Artisans, the successful Big Data analytics company known for its ability to process streaming data in real time. The company was acquired by Alibaba in 2019.

Kostas' story begins at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens and continues at Aalborg University in Denmark, with Berlin being the pivotal stop in his journey that ultimately shaped his career. It was in Berlin where the idea for Data Artisans was born while he was working on his postdoctoral research.

Kostas became CEO at just 29 years old, and he admits that it was a particularly stressful experience. After the acquisition by Alibaba in 2019, he remained with the company for two years before deciding to focus on mental health.

During the discussion, Kostas shares his personal journey and emphasizes the importance of balancing personal and professional life, pointing out that we still have many steps to take in this direction, especially since it's a topic that is not openly discussed in business circles.

Listen to the episode here and learn more at outliers.gr.