The Social Radars Justin Kan, Cofounder, Twitch
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Apr 15, 2026 
Justin Kan, founder known for creating Justin.tv which evolved into Twitch and longtime YC entrepreneur. He recounts early YC days and pivoting startups. Stories cover livestreaming origins, how gaming turned into Twitch, risky real-world moments like swatting, building service startups, and a personal ayahuasca trip that reshaped his motivations.
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Use A Batch Culture And Weekly Demos To Accelerate
- Use a peer batch structure and weekly demos to accelerate progress and avoid loneliness when building startups.
- Justin credits YC's weekly peer demos and deadline-driven culture for forcing rapid learning and progress.
Yahoo Lowball Then Ghosted After Calendar Meetings
- After meetings with Yahoo and Google, Yahoo expressed acquisition interest and Justin asked for $2 million without negotiation experience.
- Yahoo initially agreed to one million then ghosted them while internal decisions dragged on, so no deal closed.
We Sold Our Startup On eBay For $258,100
- Facing Google Calendar competition and investor pressure, Justin sold their failing calendar startup on eBay.
- The auction unexpectedly climbed to $258,100, enough to repay investors and fund new ventures.