TLDR: Prosus Ventures is making strategic investments in Brazilian and Latin American AI startups, notably leading a $13.5 million funding round in Luzia, a Spanish conversational AI company, and a $7.25 million seed round in Zapia, a WhatsApp-based AI assistant. These moves highlight Prosus’s commitment to democratizing access to technology in high-growth markets by backing culturally and linguistically tailored AI solutions that resonate with the region’s digitally native, mobile-first population.
Prosus Ventures, the venture investing arm of global consumer internet group Prosus, is significantly expanding its footprint in Latin America’s burgeoning artificial intelligence sector. The firm’s latest strategic investments underscore a strong belief in ‘culturally fluent AI’ as a key driver for democratizing access to technology, finance, and services across the region.
Central to this strategy is Prosus Ventures’ recent leadership in a $13.5 million funding round for Luzia, a Spanish conversational AI company. This investment brings Luzia’s total funding to nearly $49 million since 2023, with previous backing from firms like Khosla Ventures and Brazilian fund Monashees. Luzia has rapidly emerged as a dominant force, amassing 65 million users across more than 40 countries in just two years. It is recognized as the largest independent conversational AI company in Latin America and ranks 29th globally among generative AI applications, according to Andreessen Horowitz.
Luzia’s success is attributed to three core pillars: its cultural fluency, privacy-first design, and free, frictionless access. The platform’s conversational AI is meticulously tailored for Spanish and Portuguese speakers, offering features such as document translation, image generation, and task simplification. This localized approach is particularly effective in regions where English proficiency may be lower, but mobile-first adoption is soaring. Furthermore, Luzia distinguishes itself by not storing user messages or utilizing them for model training, addressing growing data privacy concerns. Its no-registration policy significantly lowers barriers to entry for a broad user base, including students, small businesses, and everyday individuals.
Brazil, with its internet penetration surging to 68% in 2025, represents a critical growth market for Luzia. To further solidify its presence and cater to local needs, Luzia plans to open its first office in Brazil this year, aiming to attract local talent and maintain direct contact with Latin American markets.
Álvaro Higes, Founder and CEO of Luzia, articulated the company’s vision, stating, ‘Luzia began as a friendly chat companion; we’re now turning it into the friction-free operating layer for daily life in Spanish and Portuguese. Our north star is radical accessibility—AI that’s effortless, private, and culturally fluent for everyone, not just tech insiders. Prosus shares that conviction and, with its global footprint and execution depth, is the perfect partner for our next chapter.’
Beyond Luzia, Prosus Ventures has also demonstrated its commitment to the region by leading a $7.25 million seed round for Zapia, a WhatsApp-based AI executive assistant platform built specifically for Latin America. This investment brings Zapia’s total seed funding to over $12.35 million. Zapia has quickly gained traction, accumulating over 3.5 million users by embedding directly into WhatsApp and tailoring to the behavioral norms of consumers and businesses in the region.
Denis Pedreira, Head of Latin America Investments at Prosus Ventures, highlighted the strategic importance of such ventures, noting, ‘Zapia stands out for its differentiated product and rapid traction in a uniquely mobile-first, messaging-driven market… Prosus is excited to support Zapia’s next phase of growth as it builds one of Latin America’s first AI-native consumer platforms.’
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These investments align with Prosus’s broader strategy of building connected, AI-powered ecosystems in high-growth markets. The Latin American tech ecosystem, with its 650 million residents and a significant digitally native population, presents a massive and largely underpenetrated market. Analysts estimate the AI market in Latin America alone could reach $200 billion, underscoring the immense potential that Prosus Ventures is actively tapping into through its strategic backing of culturally relevant AI innovations.
