From Apps to Agents: Why Prosus Is Betting on Zapia and the Future of Consumer AI

Search gave us answers. Mobile gave us convenience. Now AI agents are giving us something more fundamental: the ability to act. The agent shift, from knowledge to action, is the premise behind Zapia, democratising AI access and unleashing its power to consumers. Seven million people are already using Zapia to simply get things done, booking restaurants, managing inboxes, and coordinating schedules. It's being used every day to handle tasks end-to-end, reclaiming time for the things that matter.

With Prosus - one of the world's largest technology companies, with platforms including iFood, Despegar, OLX, Swiggy, and Just Eat Takeaway reaching two billion consumers globally - behind it, Zapia is building fast.

A shared vision for the next consumer interface

As a leading technology player across Europe, India, and Latin America, Prosus has spent decades building platforms at the center of daily life, and has a rare view into what comes next. It's betting AI assistants will increasingly become the front door to the digital economy, the starting point for how consumers interact with digital products and services moving forward.

"We believe AI agents will become the engine of the everyday economy, the layer through which people access food, travel, commerce, the things that run their lives," said Helen Vaid, Head of European Ecosystem at Prosus. "Our customers already trust us for that, and Zapia gives them access to all of it without thinking. No app-switching, no searching, and finally getting things done. We're excited to work with Zapia to build the next generation of agents."

How Zapia acts

Give Zapia something real to do. By voice, "Find a restaurant in Barcelona for eight people this Saturday at nine, with good vegetarian options. Drop the shortlist in the family WhatsApp group, wait for everyone to vote, and book it."

From this one prompt, Zapia searches the web, filters by availability and preferences, sends options into WhatsApp, waits for feedback, books the reservation, and confirms details with the group.

"People weren't asking for more prompts or complexity, they were asking for less friction and they were ready for more than just answers," said Juan Pablo Pereira, CEO of Zapia. "Our early user feedback showed that users were organizing family events, managing small businesses, and simply getting time back. That is what consumer AI looks like when it actually works. There is increasing consumer appetite for this, and our vision has always been to meet them there - a trusted assistant that helps people get things done in the real world. Working closely with Prosus gives us the opportunity to accelerate exactly that."

Zapia integrates with WhatsApp, Outlook, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, and Slack, with additional connections rolling out continuously. This includes:

• A personalized lineup of specialized agents: Personalized agents working in parallel across areas like meal planning, inbox management, flight price comparison, and task coordination.
• One instruction, multiple actions: "Move my Thursday meeting to 3 p.m., notify everyone on WhatsApp, and block prep time beforehand." Zapia acts and converses on your behalf across WhatsApp, Slack, and email, turning what used to take multiple steps into one.
• An assistant that anticipates: A proactive radar (in beta), Zapia surfaces urgent emails, scheduling conflicts, flight price drops, and time-sensitive information before users ask.

Zapia is making the case that consumer AI's next defining platform will be built for the rest of the world, not just the usual suspects. Zapia is just getting started!

About Zapia

Founded in late 2023, Zapia is a personal AI agent built for everyday, non-technical users. Going beyond answers, Zapia understands requests, takes action, and helps people complete real-world tasks in their daily lives. The company has surpassed 7 million users, the vast majority acquired organically. The app is available on iOS, Android, and on the web at app.zapia.com. Learn more at zapia.com.