Creative firm !F says AI raises value of original ideas
In an interview with ECO, Hugo Veiga said !F Creative Capital made more than €1 million in its first year as it bets on creativity as a business asset, not a final-stage service.
!F Creative Capital generated more than €1 million in its first year, Hugo Veiga told ECO, with a model that brings creativity into business strategy from day one, before companies turn to branding and advertising.
Veiga, who launched !F with Diego Machado about a year and a half after the pair left global creative leadership roles at AKQA and WPP, described the company as similar to a venture capital firm, but investing “creative capital” instead of money. He said the business has a 15-person international team across Portugal, Brazil, Switzerland, Canada, the United States and South Korea.
According to Veiga, !F works across several areas: commissioned work for brands and public figures, venture-style partnerships in which it takes equity or sales-linked remuneration, entertainment projects and a creative entrepreneurship school. He said one of the ventures already agreed is with Belgium-based Authentic Fruits, where !F will work on rebranding, digital platforms and market positioning as the company starts to expand internationally.
Veiga said artificial intelligence is increasing the importance of differentiated thinking because AI tools tend to reproduce patterns based on what has worked before. “The value of creativity lies exactly in identifying territories that artificial intelligence does not identify”, he said, arguing that many companies and agencies are too focused on process and short-term pressure to spot larger opportunities.
Originally published at Eco.pt