Alexander Torrenegra

Alexander Torrenegra (born July 31, 1981) is a Colombian-American entrepreneur, inventor, and investor.[1][2] He founded multiple companies including Torre, Voice123, and Bunny Studio.[3] He is also one of the "shark" investors on the Sony's reality television series, Shark Tank Colombia. He was featured in MIT's list of Innovators Under 35 in 2012.[3][4]

Alexander Torrenegra
Torrenegra at Rackspace Solve in 2015
Born (1981-07-31) July 31, 1981
Bogotá, Colombia
NationalityColombian-American
OccupationEntrepreneur
Investor
Television personality
Known forTorre, Voice123, Bunny Studio, Torrenegra Accelerate
TelevisionShark Tank Colombia
Spouse(s)Tania Zapata
Children2
HonoursMIT's Innovator Under 35
WEF's Young Global Leader

Early life and education

Torrenegra was born in Bogotá, Colombia. In 1993, he founded Apache A-X Cybernetic Enterprises Limited at the age of 14.[2][5] He attended La Salle University, Colombia and Florida International University.[3] He graduated from Miami Dade College with a degree in Computer Science and is part of the Stanford University Leadership Program.[6]

Career

In 1998, Torrenegra moved to the United States. He met his wife, Tania Zapata, who was a voice actress, in Miami, Florida.[2] In 2000, they cofounded Torrenegra Labs.[3] Torrenegra and his wife founded Voice123, which applied the concept of reverse auctions to the voiceover industry, in 2003.[2] By 2007, the company passed $1 million in sales in 2007, and had approximately 150,000 voice actors registered and over 75,000 agency clients by 2016.[2] In 2008, Torrenegra founded LetMeGo, a company focused on hotels competing for bookings. The company closed in 2011.[5][7]

Torrenegra, his wife, and Lucho Molina founded Bunny Studio in 2012 with the launch of VoiceBunny, then renamed Bunny Studio, an API for professional human voices.[2]

In 2013, he was part of a delegation of immigrant-entrepreneurs that met with President Barack Obama.[8][9] He also works to improve government support for innovation in Colombia.[10][11]

References
  1. Ilya Pozin (June 1, 2012). "Top Immigrant-Owned Startups". Forbes. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  2. Robert Schoon (September 23, 2015). "Marketplace: Bunny, Inc.'s Alexander Torrenegra Wants to Automate the Creative Job Market". Latin Post. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  3. "Alexander Torrenegra, 33". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  4. "13 Badass Immigrants In Technology". Business Insider. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  5. "Torrenegra Labs: How To Get The Attention Of A Venture Capitalist". Mixergy. November 4, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  6. "International Students as Startup Founders in the United States" (PDF). The George Washington University Office of Entrepreneurship. September 30, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  7. Alan Colmenares (December 28, 2009). "Young startup LetMeGo.com to take on big-time travel sites with extra-personal service". Venture Beat. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  8. Julia Myska (June 24, 2013). "Obama invites Colombian entrepreneur to discuss US immigration reform". Colombia Reports. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  9. Anna Li (May 24, 2013). "Silicon Valley execs share personal immigration woes at virtual #iMarch". Peninsula Press. Archived from the original on January 1, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  10. "Juan Manuel Santos Will Make His First Presidential Hangout". Enter.co. January 17, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  11. "Remarks by President Juan Manuel Santos in the VI Competitiveness Forum of the Americas". Prosperidad Para Todos. October 24, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
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