Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Christopher Vasilakis is a Tampa Bay CEO and Founder of Guided Virtual Tours. Vasilakis is an American Mensa member and Marine Corps combat veteran whose impressive, diverse career history spans more than two decades.
He has enjoyed success as a Marine Corps Sergeant, hip-hop artist manager, and business owner of multiple ventures that include Guided Virtual Tours, a digital property touring company catering to residential real estate firms and apartment complexes. When not working as a digital leasing expert, Vasilakis is passionate about helping children. He founded a 501c3 called The Virtual Recess Foundation to provide virtual adventures seen through VR Viewers for ailing children who are confined to lengthy hospital admissions.
Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Christopher Vasilakis is a Tampa Bay CEO and Founder of Guided Virtual Tours. Vasilakis is an American Mensa member and Marine Corps combat veteran whose impressive, diverse career history spans more than two decades.
He has enjoyed success as a Marine Corps Sergeant, hip-hop artist manager, and business owner of multiple ventures that include Guided Virtual Tours, a digital property touring company catering to residential real estate firms and apartment complexes. When not working as a digital leasing expert, Vasilakis is passionate about helping children. He founded a 501c3 called The Virtual Recess Foundation to provide virtual adventures seen through VR Viewers for ailing children who are confined to lengthy hospital admissions.
Vasilakis grew up in Brooklyn with his Dominican mother and Greek Father. He left New York in the early 1990’s to move to Florida.
After high school, he joined the Marine Corps which took him all over the world. He was stationed in Okinawa, Japan as well as Camp Pendleton, California. After 9/11, Vasilakis volunteered to join the 1st Marine Division during the invasion of Iraq. He served in combat until the end of his enlistment. After leaving the Corps, he felt the drive to start a business and thought getting a degree was the place to start.
Vasilakis grew up in Brooklyn with his Dominican mother and Greek Father. He left New York in the early 1990’s to move to Florida.
After high school, he joined the Marine Corps which took him all over the world. He was stationed in Okinawa, Japan as well as Camp Pendleton, California. After 9/11, Vasilakis volunteered to join the 1st Marine Division during the invasion of Iraq. He served in combat until the end of his enlistment. After leaving the Corps, he felt the drive to start a business and thought getting a degree was the place to start.
Chris got out of the service and went to school, but didn’t stay in and finish. He felt like he was waiting around for something to happen—that his professors were out of touch with the evolving business world. He needed a hands on approach to business and wanted to figure things out for himself.
Without hesitation, Chris started one business after another while finally settling in the music business, working with hip-hop stars such as Ludacris and other notable performers. He acknowledges that while there was a great deal of excitement pursuing the event production end of the music industry, the volatility of that business wasn’t aligned with his aspirations.
Chris got out of the service and went to school, but didn’t stay in and finish. He felt like he was waiting around for something to happen—that his professors were out of touch with the evolving business world. He needed a hands on approach to business and wanted to figure things out for himself.
Without hesitation, Chris started one business after another while finally settling in the music business, working with hip-hop stars such as Ludacris and other notable performers. He acknowledges that while there was a great deal of excitement pursuing the event production end of the music industry, the volatility of that business wasn’t aligned with his aspirations.
As an early trend spotter, Chris' brother exposed him to virtual reality before it was mainstream. At first, he thought it was a really cool technology but didn't see any business application for it.
That all changed when he saw his first 360 camera in Best Buy. Suddenly everything clicked for him and he saw an opportunity for business. He started a company with his friend from college and became obsessed. Since he was pioneering in a new technology, he developed his own methods of creating cutting edge business solutions.
As his company grew, he became passionate about personal development and growth. He found mentorship from some of the industry's greatest leaders. Spending countless hours around these individuals, Chris was able to develop the skills needed to create his biggest venture to date, Guided Virtual Tours.
As an early trend spotter, Chris' brother exposed him to virtual reality before it was mainstream. At first, he thought it was a really cool technology but didn't see any business application for it.
That all changed when he saw his first 360 camera in Best Buy. Suddenly everything clicked for him and he saw an opportunity for business. He started a company with his friend from college and became obsessed. Since he was pioneering in a new technology, he developed his own methods of creating cutting edge business solutions.
As his company grew, he became passionate about personal development and growth. He found mentorship from some of the industry's greatest leaders. Spending countless hours around these individuals, Chris was able to develop the skills needed to create his biggest venture to date, Guided Virtual Tours.
Guided Virtual Tours is a digital property tour that can be created for residential real estate firms and apartment complexes that allow property tours to be sent directly to a prospect's phone. Unlike traditional virtual tours that have been around for over a decade, his solution guides the prospect through the tour, explaining the key features, just like an organic property tour. They also don’t have to click endlessly to navigate from room to room. The prospect simply looks around the immersive tour while listening to the VR leasing agent.
It can be used as an effective lead generation tool to develop a consistent pipeline and close business more efficiently. By utilizing his partnership with a global VR company who has photographers all over the country, he is able to create guided tours at an affordable price, which hasn’t always been the case. He said, “This is the future of property tours, allowing thousands of prospects to tour each day while reducing the need for human leasing agents. It’ll be global—and it’s going to change the industry.”
Guided Virtual Tours is a digital property tour that can be created for residential real estate firms and apartment complexes that allow property tours to be sent directly to a prospect's phone. Unlike traditional virtual tours that have been around for over a decade, his solution guides the prospect through the tour, explaining the key features, just like an organic property tour. They also don’t have to click endlessly to navigate from room to room. The prospect simply looks around the immersive tour while listening to the VR leasing agent.
It can be used as an effective lead generation tool to develop a consistent pipeline and close business more efficiently. By utilizing his partnership with a global VR company who has photographers all over the country, he is able to create guided tours at an affordable price, which hasn’t always been the case. He said, “This is the future of property tours, allowing thousands of prospects to tour each day while reducing the need for human leasing agents. It’ll be global—and it’s going to change the industry.”
While volunteering for a children's hospital charity event, Chris fell in love with the fighting spirit of the children. He founded the Virtual Recess Foundation to provide an escape for these brave children.
The Virtual Recess Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt non-profit that provides fun life experiences to sick children in hospitals. Where some foundations can give one wish to one child, the Virtual Recess Foundation can give every wish to every child using virtual reality! These experiences are being used for distraction during treatments and other applications.