Rui Santoro, CEO and founder of LOCAL, was born in Aveiro, Portugal. From a young age, he realized he had an entrepreneurial spirit, as anyone who knows him would attest.

At the age of 16, thanks to his good looks, Rui was invited to work as a model. He began participating in fashion shows across Portugal, from north to south. Alongside his modeling career, his passion for music grew, eventually establishing him as one of the most sought-after DJs in the country.

At 19, Rui enrolled in the University of Porto to study law while simultaneously investing in a field he was passionate about—hospitality. He began developing restaurant concepts, always with music at the heart of his ventures. His successful projects became part of Lisbon’s history, with notable names like IMINEDEN and ORIGIN.

Since childhood, Rui had been passionate about sailing. Growing up in Aveiro, a coastal city, he always had an eye on nautical tourism. After achieving success in the restaurant business, Rui finally had the financial means to buy his first boat. From that point in 2015 onward, his company, WATER IN, became a benchmark in Portugal and Ibiza, where Rui lived. Ibiza also became the birthplace of the idea for LOCAL—a place he cherishes deeply and often refers to as "the island of LOCAL."

Determined to deepen his understanding of tourism and explore why it generates so much global revenue, Rui decided to study the industry. His expertise eventually earned him recognition as one of the most respected professionals in the field across Europe.

During this time, he identified a major gap: the need for an app that could centralize all services and professionals in the hospitality and tourism sectors, simplifying life for everyone, especially for customers eager to avoid any hassles during their travels.

In 2019, LOCAL was born in Portugal, incubated for seven months before relocating to Brazil. São Paulo was chosen as the launch city for the app to become a reality.

By 2020, the company had gained traction with investors and shareholders, leading to its expansion. In 2021, LOCAL moved its headquarters to Miami, United States, where Rui now leads a team of over 20 professionals. Together, they aim to make LOCAL one of the most widely used apps in the world.