Zx Ventures — Harris Damashek

An e-commerce strategy for disruptive growth

It started as a grand experiment. Could the King of Beers act small and agile like a turbo-charged start-up? Drive new growth from within? Brew up the future…today?

I joined ZX Ventures, AB InBev’s disruptive growth group as one of the first hires of a team that now numbers almost 2,000 globally. ZX Ventures’ aim is to be the #1 engine of growth for ABI by investing in and creating consumer-driven product, brand, technology, and marketing innovations.

In the first six months, I launched four global eCommerce pilots (subscription, courier and eRetail models) in five countries. We tested and learned about everything — brands and creative, consumer insights and value propositions, features and user experiences, and templates for global roll-outs.

From there, I joined the Global Craft and Specialties team creating insight-driven product, brand and marketing innovations, while also launching new technologies, brands, beer formulations and adjacent product categories. In this role, I worked with numerous global brands, old and new. For Hoegaarden, I led the repositioning and relaunch in over 200 markets, turning around a brand that had long been in decline into a big bet for the future and the newest global brand for ABI, joining Bud, Corona and Stella. For Goose Island Brewhouses, I guided the creative and architectural concept development that launched in five global markets. And for Owl’s Brew & Brew Lab Tea company and numerous incubated start-ups, I advised and led investments on brand, creative strategy and insights.