Company Roundup: Didati
Founded by Bryan Santangelo in Durango, Didati is rethinking how companies interact with their data—eliminating the need for costly centralization and unlocking real-time intelligence where data already lives. In this Q&A, Bryan shares the frustration that sparked the company, the challenge of disrupting deeply ingrained industry habits, and why he’s choosing to scale both his business and his impact from Southwest Colorado. https://didati.com/home
Q: What’s your name, title, company
A: I’m Bryan Santangelo, Founder and CEO of Didati Inc
Q: What does your company do?
A: Data is the lifeblood of AI, yet most organizations are paralyzed by fragmentation. Currently, companies waste more time moving data than analyzing it. Didati breaks this cycle. Our Huckleberry Platform eliminates the need for costly centralization by accessing data exactly where it lives. By using AI to automate interoperability on the fly, we turn stagnant, siloed data into immediate, actionable intelligence.
Q: Tell us about your entrepreneurial journey.
A: Over the last two decades, I’ve been involved in several startups. But the real catalyst for my current venture was a recurring frustration I faced over the last 15 years in broader leadership roles. I continually watched companies accept the massive expense and risk of centralizing their data just to get value out of it, while still leaving massive amounts of data trapped in isolated silos.
The industry accepted, and still accepts, this as standard practice. I knew a better way was possible, but the unified technology platform to make it happen simply didn't exist. The foundational pieces were out there, but no one had put them together. So, three years ago, we decided to build it ourselves. That was the spark for Didati – we stepped in to create the solution the market was desperately missing.
Q: What was the most powerful lesson you learned on this journey?
A: The most powerful lesson I’ve learned is that when you build something truly disruptive, your biggest competitor isn’t another company – it’s collective inertia. For years, the industry assumed the immense pain and expense of data centralization was just the cost of doing business. Organizations were entirely conditioned to it.
Building the technology at Didati taught me that creating the solution is only half the battle; the other half is fighting muscle memory. The greatest entrepreneurial opportunities come not just from building a better platform, but from looking at a frustrating, universally accepted process and educating the market that they simply don't have to settle for the status quo anymore.
Q: Why did you apply for the SCAPE Program?
A: I founded Didati in 2023 from my home in Durango, where I’ve had a house since 2019. For the first couple of years, we were entirely head-down building the platform. But after experiencing the energy of the region's emerging entrepreneurial community at WSSW 2025, I got my first real look at SCAPE.
I applied because as we transition from building our technology to actively scaling it, I want Didati to grow alongside this ecosystem. We are ready to leverage the mentorship and network of this program, all while planting our company's roots even deeper into the Western Slope.
Q: What companies inspire you the most (local, national, worldwide)?
A: Didati, of course! On a global scale, I'm inspired by companies like Databricks. They looked at a massive, frustrating industry standard – the rigid, centralized data warehouse – and completely disrupted it by pioneering a new, flexible architecture. They proved that when you fundamentally change how data is accessed and processed, you unlock the true potential of AI. That is the exact same paradigm shift Didati is bringing to data interoperability.
Locally, I’m incredibly inspired by SCAPE alumni like GitPrime. Building deep-tech enterprise software in a smaller market often comes with the stigma that you 'need to be in Silicon Valley' to scale. GitPrime proved that with visionary technology, local talent, and the right early ecosystem support, you can build a world-class tech company right here in Durango. They paved the way for rural tech success, and that’s the exact trajectory Didati is building toward.
Q: What do you love most about Southwest Colorado?
A: It’s the combination of the landscape’s perspective and the community’s intentionality. Building a company like Didati requires intense focus and long hours, and having the San Juan Mountains in my backyard provides a mental clarity you just can't find in a traditional tech hub. But beyond the geography, it’s the people. No one lives in Southwest Colorado by accident; you have to choose to be here. That creates a uniquely resilient, grounded, and supportive community – which is exactly the foundation I want to build my company on.
