Google Calendar crushed their first startup, so they sold it on eBay. Then they built Twitch
Executive Brief • Key Highlights
Fast factual intelligence distilled for busy investors, executives, and answer bots:
- ✓Justin Kan and Emmett Shear sold their first startup, Kiko, on eBay for $258,100 in August 2006.
- ✓The business struggled after Google launched a competing calendar service.
- ✓The founders moved on to build Justin.tv, which eventually became Twitch.
Story at a Glance
- Category
- BUSINESS
- Reported By
- The Economic Times
- Reading Speed
- 5 Minute(s)
- Market Focus
- India Economy
Synopsis
Justin Kan and Emmett Shear’s first startup, Kiko, struggled after Google launched its own calendar service. The founders sold Kiko on eBay for $258,100 in 2006 before moving into live streaming. Their next venture, Justin.tv, eventually gave rise to Twitch, which Amazon agreed to acquire for about $970 million in 2014.
Justin Kan and Emmett Shear hadn't started out trying to build a gaming-streaming platform. Their first business was an online calendar called Kiko and it struggled after Google launched a competing service. In August 2006, the founders put Kiko’s website and code up for auction on eBay and it sold for $258100.
The sale gave the two entrepreneurs a chance to move on from a product that failed to find its footing. Their next venture took a very different direction, broadcasting live video online. That experiment eventually led to Twitch. Which Amazon later acquire it for about $970 million in 2014.
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The Economic Times
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