Samaipata, an early-stage venture capital fund investing in technology companies with network effects, announces the appointment of Roberto Cruz as its new Operating Partner, with a strategic focus on Artificial Intelligence.
With over 30 years of experience in corporate and startup environments, Roberto has held leadership positions at companies such as IBM, Grupo Villar Mir, and Havas Group, as well as in scaleups like IDOVEN (where he received the award for Best Advanced Analytics Project in Spain), Ontruck, and TietAI. His career has focused on helping companies scale from concept to product, combining deep technical expertise, product vision, and a foundational approach.
The role of Operating Partner is key to Samaipata’s operational support model. Founders of portfolio companies have access to an exclusive network of experts with experience at companies like Google, N26, Airbnb, Spotify, or Dropbox, who advise them in areas such as internationalization, sales, talent, or, in Roberto’s case, technology and Artificial Intelligence.
With Roberto’s addition, Samaipata strengthens its commitment to providing founders with the best operational knowledge. At a time when Artificial Intelligence is redefining how companies are built, having an expert like Roberto will enable portfolio founders to make better decisions and create sustainable advantages in their markets.
“We are witnessing an unprecedented platform shift, driven by advances in Artificial Intelligence. A new generation of startups is emerging: faster, more efficient, and more ambitious. Having Roberto on board in this context allows us to support our portfolio companies at a key moment to build competitive advantages through technology,” said Alberto Cuevas, Partner at Samaipata.
In addition to providing individual advice to founders, Roberto participates in several initiatives within Samaipata aimed at maximizing the collective impact of Artificial Intelligence across the portfolio. He is part of an internal learning community where companies share progress, challenges, and best practices in integrating AI into their products and processes on a daily basis. He also authors a newsletter offering curated analysis of the most relevant developments in the AI ecosystem, helping portfolio companies stay at the forefront.
“At a time when Artificial Intelligence is redefining how companies are built, I am excited to contribute from Samaipata by helping founders make better technology decisions from the start. My goal is to help them translate the technical potential of AI into real, sustainable business value,” says Roberto Cruz.
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