Justin Kan
Justin Kan (born 1983) is an Internet entrepreneur and investor. He is the co-founder of live video platforms Justin.tv and TwitchTV, as well as the mobile social video application, Socialcam.[1] He also serves as a part-time partner at venture capital firm Y Combinator[2]. His attempt to broadcast his entire life at Justin.tv popularized the term "lifecasting".
He also contributes to the technology news site TechCrunch[3] and co-founded Kiko Software, the first ajax based online calendar, with Emmett Shear.[4] Kan graduated from Yale University in 2005 with degrees in physics and philosophy.
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[edit] Justin.tv
In 2007, Justin Kan and partners Emmett Shear, Michael Seibel and Kyle Vogt, started Justin.tv, a 24-7 live video feed of Kan’s life, broadcast via a webcam attached to his head.[5]
Kan’s “lifecasting” lasted about eight months. The novelty of Kan's concept attracted media attention, and resulting interviews with him included one by Ann Curry on the Today Show. Viewers accompanied Kan as he walked the streets of San Francisco, sometimes involved in both pre-planned events (trapeze lesson, dance lesson) and also spontaneous situations (being invited into the local Scientology center by a sidewalk recruiter).
Afterward, the company decided to transition to providing a live video platform so anyone could publish a live video stream. Justin.tv, the platform, launched in 2007[6][7] and is now one of the largest live video platforms in the world with more than 30 million unique users every month.
[edit] TwitchTV
After Justin.tv launched in 2006, the site quickly began building subject-specific content categories like Social, Tech, Sports, Entertainment, News & Events, Gaming and others. Gaming, in particular, grew very fast and became the most popular content on the site.[8]
The company then decided to spin off the gaming content under a separate brand at a separate site. They named it TwitchTV, inspired by the term twitch gameplay. It launched officially in public beta on June 6, 2011.[9]
[edit] Socialcam
Socialcam launched March 7, 2011.[10] Socialcam is a mobile social video application for iPhone and Android. It allows users to capture and share video online and on mobile, as well as via Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks.
The application has eclipsed 2 million downloads and has continued to add features list, most notably with the addition of video filters.[11]
[edit] Y Combinator
Kan became a part-time partner at Y Combinator in June 2011, where he offers advice to the new startups in each batch.[12] He was a member of the first batch of YC-funded startups in 2005 for Kiko Calendar, and was funded by YC again for Justin.tv.[13]
[edit] References
- ^ http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/18/socialcam-a-look-at-justin-tvs-upcoming-instagram-for-video/
- ^ http://venturebeat.com/2011/06/13/y-combinator-partners-alums/
- ^ http://www.crunchbase.com/person/justin-kan/posts
- ^ http://www.crunchbase.com/company/kiko
- ^ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/03/30/MNG8OOUQI81.DTL&hw=justin+tv&sn=001&sc=1000
- ^ http://gigaom.com/video/justintv-wins-funding-opens-platform/
- ^ http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/30/pirillo.lifecasting/
- ^ http://venturebeat.com/2011/03/10/justin-tv-esports-channel/
- ^ http://thenextweb.com/media/2011/06/06/twitchtv-justin-tvs-killer-new-esports-project/
- ^ http://thenextweb.com/media/2011/06/06/twitchtv-justin-tvs-killer-new-esports-project/
- ^ http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/05/socialcam-crosses-2m-downloads-adds-wait-for-it-video-filters/
- ^ http://ycombinator.posterous.com/welcome-sam-garry-emmett-and-justin
- ^ http://venturebeat.com/2011/06/13/y-combinator-partners-alums/
