Martin Rubi
About Martin Rubi
Martín Alcalá Rubí (listed on Crunchbase as Martin Rubi) is based in Montevideo, Uruguay. He is Chairman and Co-Founder of Zapia AI. Crunchbase lists his education as Telecommunications and Electronics at Universidad de la República, Uruguay.
He co-founded Tryolabs, a machine learning consulting firm, in 2009 and ran it as CEO and later Executive Director. He remains on its board. In 2014 he co-founded MonkeyLearn, a text analysis platform spun out of Tryolabs. MonkeyLearn joined 500 Startups Batch 14 in San Francisco and was acquired by Medallia in 2021. He also co-founded UltraDrop. Crunchbase counts 5 companies founded.
He co-founded Zapia in 2023 and was its CEO until 2024, when he became Chairman. Zapia is a personal AI assistant for Latin America that works through WhatsApp and a mobile app. It raised $5M in August 2023 and a $7.25M seed extension led by Prosus Ventures in April 2025. From 2013 to 2016 he co-founded AngelClub UY, and he sits on the board of CUTI, the Uruguayan IT Chamber.
Crunchbase shows 2 investments, 2 portfolio companies, 0 lead investments and 0 exits. Its only listed personal investment is the July 2014 pre-seed round in MonkeyLearn, which he co-founded.
Other profile sites and his LinkedIn headline describe him as an angel investor. ZoomInfo lists him as angel investor and advisor to Foliume since 2022 and as an angel investor in Rewind AI. Crunchbase also lists him as an angel investor at Meitre. RocketReach lists him as angel investor and advisor to Loog Guitars since 2018. These are third-party aggregations, and no cheque dates or amounts are public.
His AI angel investments that can be identified are Rewind AI and Foliume, both from third-party profiles. As an operator, he has built AI companies since 2009: Tryolabs, MonkeyLearn and Zapia. He has said he is interested in applying AI across business verticals and in emerging technologies such as quantum computing.
He has not published a thesis, check size or target stage. His portfolio is small and mixed, covering AI software, a hospitality-related company and a guitar maker. His operating focus is AI products, and his current company builds consumer AI for emerging markets, specifically Latin America. He is active in the Uruguayan and Latin American startup community, so founders in the region have a natural connection to him.
- MonkeyLearn: text analysis platform he co-founded and invested in at pre-seed in 2014. Medallia acquired it in 2021.
- Rewind AI: AI product listed by ZoomInfo as an angel investment. The investment date is not public.
- Foliume: listed as an angel investment and advisory role since 2022.
- Meitre: listed on Crunchbase as an angel investment. The date is not public.
- Loog Guitars: listed by RocketReach as an angel and advisory role since 2018.
- crunchbase.com/person/martin-alcala
- crunchbase.com/organization/zapia-ai/profiles_and_contacts
- zoominfo.com/p/Marti%CC%81n-Rubi%CC%81/9147852069
- rocketreach.co/martin-rubi-email_35384
- khipu.ai/martin
- finance.yahoo.com/news/zapia-first-personal-ai-assistant-130000919.htm
- contxto.com/en/funding/prosus-ventures-leads-7-25-million-round-for-za
- 500.co/content/500-startups-announces-batch-14-in-san-francisco
Investing activity
Martin Rubi has made 2 investments according to Crunchbase across 2 portfolio companies, and has founded 5 companies.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Martin Rubi
Who is Martin Rubi?
Martín Alcalá Rubí is a Uruguayan AI entrepreneur based in Montevideo. He co-founded Tryolabs, MonkeyLearn and Zapia, and he is also an angel investor.
What companies has Martin Rubi founded?
He co-founded Tryolabs (2009), MonkeyLearn (2014), UltraDrop and Zapia (2023). He is now Chairman of Zapia.
What is Martin Rubi's angel check size?
It is not public. He has not published a check size or investment range, so we do not list one.
Which startups has Martin Rubi invested in?
Public profiles list Rewind AI, Foliume, Meitre and Loog Guitars as angel positions, plus MonkeyLearn, which he co-founded. Crunchbase counts 2 investments.
Does Martin Rubi lead rounds?
Crunchbase shows 0 lead investments. His public record is small angel positions, not led rounds.
Should I pitch Martin Rubi if I am building AI in Latin America?
He has built Zapia for Latin America and is active in the Uruguayan startup community. He has not published a thesis, so a pitch should state the stage and the specific reason it fits his background.
Is Martin Rubi an angel investor?
Yes. Martin Rubi invests personally as an angel and is Chairman & Co-Founder at Zapia AI. Crunchbase counts 2 investments.
Where is Martin Rubi based?
Martin Rubi is based in Montevideo, NA - Uruguay, Uruguay.
How can founders reach Martin Rubi?
Founders on Lounge can see Martin Rubi's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Martin Rubi to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.