Advait Ruia

For real, let me enlighten you about Advait Ruia, this guy’s the real deal in the startup world. So, he’s a YC S20 alum, which already means he’s crushed it in the startup game. But honestly, his story is even cooler when you dig into it.

Advait’s been jumping into stuff since way back. He’s got this solid background in engineering, marketing, and VC, dude knows tech and how to hustle. He started out co-founding Qually, a personalized recommendation app, and ran that from 2016 to 2019. Basically, he was figuring out how to make cool tech that connects with people’s preferences and probably learned a lot about user behavior and product-market fit.

Then he jumped into the VC world as an analyst at Lightbox Ventures. That’s where he was evaluating startups, doing market research, basically, he was getting the inside scoop on what makes startups tick and what doesn’t. That experience gave him a superpower: understanding what investors look for and spotting winners early on. No cap, that’s huge.

But what really puts him on the map is SuperTokens. He’s the co-founder and CEO of this open source user authentication company backed by YC. Started in 2019, it’s basically trying to crush big players like Auth0 by giving devs a free, open source alternative. That’s smart as hell because it’s about empowering the community, cutting costs, and making security accessible. This isn’t just about building cool tech, it’s about changing the game for everyone.

Before all that, he led marketing and crowdfunding at Blocks smartwatch, where he ran a $1.6M Kickstarter. That’s no joke, it means he’s got the skills to rally a community, tell a story, and make shit happen with real money on the line. It’s that mix of technical chops and marketing hustle that makes him stand out.

And, just to top it off, he’s got a solid education from top schools, Cathedral and John Connon, B.D. Somani, so he’s been around top-tier environments his whole life.

Bottom line? Advait isn’t just some guy who likes tech. He’s a builder, a thinker, and a hustler who’s been through the grind from startups to VC to leading a YC-backed company. His process shows he’s super motivated, he’s all about solving real problems, empowering others, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. The dude’s the kind of founder who’s been in the trenches, learned a ton, and now he’s out here making moves that actually matter. No bullshit, he’s one to watch.