# Rafael Umann

> Rafael Umann is the Founder and CEO of Azion Technologies, a global edge computing platform headquartered in Palo Alto, California. A serial entrepreneur who founded his first company - an ISP - at age 13, he went on to build and exit multiple startups before founding Azion in 2011. Under his leadership, Azion has grown into a recognized leader in edge computing, serving 45 of the top 50 Latin American e-commerces, processing over 10 billion monthly financial transactions, and winning awards from Santander X, Frost & Sullivan, and GigaOm. A Forbes Technology Council member and open-source contributor whose Linux kernel work powered the world's largest point-to-point wireless network, Umann is one of the most prominent voices on edge computing's role in the future of the internet.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Azion Technologies
- **Organizations:** Azion Technologies, Forbes Technology Council, WOW Aceleradora, Columbia Business School Alumni
- **From:** Brazil
- **Nationality:** Brazilian
- **Education:** Computer Science (did not complete), Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Executive MBA - Sales & Marketing Strategies, Columbia Business School, Columbia University, Executive MBA - Business Administration & Management, Columbia Business School, Columbia University
- **Known for:** Founded an ISP at age 13 that was acquired four years later., Co-founded VP2U, a property rental marketplace years before Airbnb., Linux kernel and device driver contributions that powered the world's largest point-to-point wireless network.

## Career timeline

- **~1995** — Founded an Internet Service Provider (ISP) in Brazil at approximately age 13.
- **~1999** — First exit: ISP was acquired by a large internet group four years after founding.
- **2001** — Joined Terra Networks as Infrastructure/Systems Engineer. Open-source Linux kernel contributions powered the world's largest point-to-point wireless network.
- **2004** — Co-founded VP2U, a London-based online property rental marketplace (pre-Airbnb model) operating in Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Portugal, and Poland.
- **2006** — Second exit: VP2U sold.
- **2011** — Founded Azion Technologies in Brazil as an IT and CDN provider.
- **2020** — Azion raised a Series A round led by Monashees and Qualcomm Ventures. Azion pivoted fully to edge computing platform.
- **2022** — Launched Azion Marketplace, a global edge computing application marketplace.
- **2023** — Won Santander X Global Challenge Cyberprotect the Future (Scaleup category) at Web Summit Lisbon. Named GigaOm Market Leader. Won Frost & Sullivan North American New Product Innovation Award.
- **2024** — Azion launched Edge Storage in partnership with Backblaze. Continued global expansion.

## Achievements

- Founded an ISP at age 13 that was acquired four years later.
- Co-founded VP2U, a property rental marketplace years before Airbnb.
- Linux kernel and device driver contributions that powered the world's largest point-to-point wireless network.
- GitHub Arctic Code Vault Contributor.
- Forbes Technology Council member.
- Led Azion to GigaOm Market Leader status in edge platforms (2023).
- Won Santander X Global Challenge - Cyberprotect the Future, Scaleup Category, Web Summit Lisbon (2023).
- Won Frost & Sullivan North American New Product Innovation Award for Edge Serverless Computing (2023).
- Azion recognized as Forrester Wave Strong Performer in Edge Development Platforms Q4 2023.
- Azion serves 45 of the 50 largest Latin American e-commerces.
- Azion processes 10 billion+ monthly financial services transactions.
- Board member at WOW Aceleradora; LP in VC funds and startup incubators.
- Speaks four languages: Portuguese, English, German, and Spanish.

## Latest updates

- **2024-02** — Azion launched Edge Storage in partnership with Backblaze, enabling cloud storage delivery from Azion's edge platform.
- **2023-11** — Won Santander X Global Challenge - Cyberprotect the Future award at Web Summit in Lisbon, beating 250+ startups from 11 countries.
- **2023-08** — Named GigaOm Market Leader and Fast Mover in Edge Platforms radar report.
- **2023-07** — Azion named Frost & Sullivan North American New Product Innovation Award winner for Edge Serverless Computing.
- **2023-04** — Azion recognized as Forrester Wave Strong Performer in Edge Development Platforms Q4 2023 with maximum Observability score.

## Links

- Website: https://azion.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafaelumann/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/rafaelumann
- GitHub: https://github.com/rafaelumann
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rafaelumann/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/azionedge/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/rafael-umann
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-15