Entrepreneurship · 4 min read
'In Spain, no one valued me': Alberto Rosas on building Didit and getting into Y Combinator
Same founder, same skills, a different country. The story of Didit, ambition, and why Alberto builds efficient instead of scaling fast.
Updated
Some founders are discovered at home. Alberto Rosas had to leave to be seen. He grew up in Spain, sold nightclub tickets, built and sold companies, and kept hearing that nobody valued what he was building, with the same skills he has today.
Then he moved to the US, Y Combinator backed him, and everything changed. In this episode of Nova Podcast, Ramón Rodrigáñez talks with Alberto, CEO and co-founder of Didit (YC W26), about ambition, building efficient instead of scaling fast, and why deserving success is part of the process.
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In Spain, no one valued him. The US did.
The most striking line comes early: he was the same founder, with the same skills, that he is today. In Spain, that wasn’t enough. In the US, Y Combinator saw it and backed him. It isn’t a complaint, it’s a lesson about where ambition gets rewarded and why surrounding yourself with people who bet on you changes everything.
“I was the same founder, with the same skills I have now, and no one valued me. But I went to the US and Y Combinator backed me.”
Alberto Rosas
What Didit actually builds
Didit lets any company know who is really behind the platform they are using, and that the person isn’t fraudulent. Document verification, facial biometrics, anti-deepfake, all built to be easy to integrate. His thesis is simple: with the rise of AI and government regulation, every internet application will eventually need technology like this.
“You have to know who is behind it, and that the person isn’t fraudulent. We build all the technology to make that possible.”
Alberto Rosas
Taking share from the legacy players
The incumbents have been around for a decade and never adapted to the explosion of AI fraud. Alberto saw the gap: a better product, with a great experience for the user and the developer. The result is that Didit wins the new market and pulls clients away from the old competitors, while none switch back.
“They’re very legacy players. We saw a huge opportunity: build a better product, and we’ll take over.”
Alberto Rosas
Build efficient, don’t just scale fast
A big part of the conversation is a warning about the classic startup advice. Spend fast, scale fast. Alberto learned the opposite the hard way: doing things efficiently from day one beats scaling fast and fixing things later. Managing cash is brutal, and the scars teach you.
“I’m a big believer in doing things efficiently from the start, instead of scaling fast and then having to fix everything.”
Alberto Rosas
Success you have to deserve
The line that stays with you is about the cost. This company has made him suffer, and he frames it as part of the deal. Success isn’t owed to anyone, you earn it once you’ve suffered enough and genuinely deserve it.
“Things don’t go well for you until you truly deserve them and have suffered enough.”
Alberto Rosas
Watch the full episode
About the guest
Alberto Rosas is the CEO and co-founder of Didit (Y Combinator, W26), building identity verification for the AI era from Silicon Valley. At 29, he is a serial founder and former elite athlete, and he was number one in his university class. Connect with Alberto on LinkedIn.
This episode is part of Nova Podcast, hosted by Ramón Rodrigáñez, CEO and co-founder of Nova. Connect with Ramón on LinkedIn.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Alberto Rosas?
He is the CEO and co-founder of Didit (Y Combinator, W26), a Silicon Valley company building identity verification for the AI era. He is 29, a serial founder and former elite athlete. He is the guest on this episode of Nova Podcast, hosted by Ramón Rodrigáñez.
What does Didit do?
Didit lets any company or organization know who is behind the platform they are using, and that the person is not fraudulent. It combines AI models for document verification and facial biometrics, built to be easy for companies to integrate, so banks, fintechs, marketplaces and universities can prevent fraud and deepfakes.
Why did Alberto leave Spain for the US?
Because the same founder with the same skills was not valued in Spain, but found support in the US. Y Combinator backed him, and the companies grew from there. His takeaway is about ambition and about surrounding yourself with people who bet on you.
What is Alberto's advice for founders?
Be wary of the classic 'spend fast, scale fast' advice. He is a believer in doing things efficiently from the start instead of scaling fast and then having to fix everything, because managing cash is harder than it looks.