The Quest with Justin Kan

Welcome to The Quest Pod Season 2: Episode 42 with Michelle Phan. Michelle is a pioneer of the online makeup and beauty genre. Since joining YouTube back in 2006, Michelle has since become one of the top beauty content creator and amassed a following of over 8 million subscribers. She is also an active investor and runs her own cosmetic line named EM Cosmetics (https://www.emcosmetics.com/) In this episode, Michelle talks about her origin story, the ups and downs of being a content creator, as well as her personal philosophies. She also shares the story behind her sudden hiatus in 2015. Michelle's Links:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuYx81nzzz4OFQrhbKDzTngInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/michellephan/?hl=enTwitter: https://twitter.com/michellephan?lang=en TRY MAGIC MIND: Buy Now ► https://www.magicmind.co/justin Get 20% with My Discount Code ► JUSTIN20  

Welcome to The Quest Pod Season 2: Episode 40 with Henry Schuck. Henry is the founder and CEO of ZoomInfo, a go-to-market intelligence solution for more than 20,000 companies worldwide. The ZoomInfo platform empowers business-to-business sales, marketing, and recruiting professionals to hit their number by pairing best-in-class technology with unrivalled data coverage, accuracy, and depth of company and contact information. Henry got the idea for the company after working as a marketing analyst in college nearly two decades ago, a job he took to help pay his undergrad degree. In this conversation, Henry discusses how to maintain a high-growth company and how to deal with imposter syndrome as a CEO. Check out Henry's LinkedIn ►https://www.linkedin.com/in/hschuck/Follow Henry on Twitter ►https://twitter.com/henrylschuck The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest:Magic Mind: https://magicmind.co/

Welcome to The Quest Pod Season 2: Episode 39 with Matthew Stoltz. Matthew is a curandero, healer, renegade anthropologist and world traveller with vast experience in the world of plant medicines. He first sat with ayahuasca when he travelled to Peru at the age of 19. He didn't touch it again for 8 years. During that time he studied at Stanford, crashed and burned, struggled with addiction and experienced suicidal thoughts. It took a lot for him to rebuild himself. Part of that journey involved ayahuasca. Matthew has now sat in over 500 ceremonies, 300 of which he was responsible for caring for a group of people. He's extremely knowledgeable about psychedelic drugs, psychoactive medicines and spiritual awakening.  In this conversation, Matthew discusses finding freedom, connection and self-awareness with ayahuasca.  The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest:Magic Mind: https://magicmind.co/ Check out Matthew's Instagram ►https://www.instagram.com/matthewstoltz/

Welcome to The Quest Pod Season 2: Episode 38 with Sahil Bloom. Sahil spent 7 years at Altamont Capital Partners, an investment fund managing over $3.5B.   He is now a Partner at The Room Where It Happens (https://theroomwhereithappens.co/), a community designed to spark conversation and bring entrepreneurial minds together. Sahil is also an active angel investor in 35+ tech start-ups.   To share his learnings and insights in business, finance and tech, Sahil runs a media platform with ~ 400K followers across his Twitter and newsletter, sharing insights into business, finance and tech. In this conversation, Sahil discusses his experience telling meaningful stories, the untapped potential of DAOs, writing Tweet threads and dealing with failure in public.   The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest: Magic Mind: https://magicmind.co/ Check out Sahil's LinkedIn ► https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahilbloom/  Follow Sahil on Twitter ► https://twitter.com/SahilBloom 

It's Balaji's world, and we're all just living in it. If you've been hanging out on tech Twitter long enough or listen to any other tech podcasts, then you're probably familiar with Balaji. He is an angel investor, entrepreneur, and formerly the CTO of Coinbase and General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz.  In this epic episode, you'll hear topics ranging from decentralization, crypto, media tech, social networking, China, machine learning, digital privacy and much more. Balaji has one of the most incredible minds I have ever met, and I am excited to bring you along on this journey.  You can find Balaji on Twitter, and read his personal blog here. The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest:Magic Mind (This episode was originally released as S2:E20 in 2021) 

Welcome to The Quest Pod Season 2: Episode 37 with Eren Bali.Eren was the founding CEO of Udemy, an open online course provider which now offers 180K+ courses to 40M students. He is now the co-founder and CEO of Carbon Health, a vertically integrated, tech-enabled healthcare provider which started in 2015 and was most recently valued at $3.3B. Eren started the company after his mother fell ill and the traditional healthcare system took several months to reach the proper diagnosis and treatment. It began as a mobile app enabling patients to communicate directly with doctors, store medical records and facilitate telehealth appointments. It now has 90 physical clinics located in 14 states within the US.In this episode, Eren talks about the up and downs of founding Udemy and Carbon Health, the importance of perseverance and many other valuable learnings.Check out Eren's LinkedIn ► https://twitter.com/erenbaliFollow Eren on Twitter ► https://www.linkedin.com/in/erenbali/ 

Welcome to The Quest Pod Season 2: Episode 36 with James Beshara.James is the founder of Magic Mind (https://magicmind.co/) and co-founder of Tilt, an award-winning payments application acquired by Airbnb. He was also a seed investor in Gusto, Clubhouse, Bolt, Mercury and more. In this conversation, James and Justin open up about the bad habits they held as startup founders, which posed barriers to their productivity and success. They discuss sleep, diet, self-accusation, unrealistic expectations, lack of trust and substance dependence. More importantly, they discuss the impact these habits had upon their work life and how to go about eliminating them! Check out Jame's LinkedIn ► https://www.linkedin.com/in/jjbeshara/Follow James on Twitter ► https://twitter.com/jamesbeshara

Welcome to The Quest Pod Season 2: Episode 35 with Scott Harrison: the founder and CEO of charity: water. After working as a nightclub promoter surrounded by drugs and booze, Scott wanted to find meaning in his life. He volunteered with a healthcare organisation in Liberia as a photojournalist, where he was exposed to one big issue: access to clean drinking water. He founded charity: water in 2006. Since this time, the organisation has provided fresh water to over 13.2M across 29 countries. In this conversation, we talk about starting a non-profit, innovating in charity work and finding purpose in life. Make sure to follow Scott on LinkedIn and Twitter! A huge shoutout to Magic Mind for making this podcast possible (use code JUSTIN20 to get 20% off).  If you liked  this episode, check out our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter! THE QUEST MEDIA | CONTENT MEETS SILICON VALLEY |

I always like to practice gratitude,  especially on my birthday. The past year has been tumultuous for us all, but I'm fortunate enough to have taken some positive learnings from it. In this podcast, I talk about the benefits of opening yourself up to try new things, zone of competence vs genius, investing your time in those who reciprocate and more. I hope these teachings can welcome more happiness into your life as they did to mine. I also shared this story on my YouTube channel and Twitter. Drop a comment to let me know what you think which startup stories you want to hear about next! THE QUEST MEDIA | CONTENT MEETS SILICON VALLEY |

Welcome to The Quest Pod Season 1: Episode 34 with Eric Glyman: a two-time fintech founder shares his advice for innovating in a crowded market. Eric Glyman is the co-founder and CEO of Ramp, the only corporate card that helps companies spend less. He also previously founded Paribus to help consumers get money back on their online purchases. Eric's success reflects the power of customer-centric design: focus on building something that serves and created value for your market, instead of trying to extract as much money from your customers as possible. In this conversation, we talk about leaving a stable job to found a start-up, leading big teams and unlocking innovation. Check out Eric's LinkedIn ► https://www.linkedin.com/in/eglyman/If you liked  this episode, check out our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter!A thank to our sponsors Universe and CashApp for making this podcast possible.  THE QUEST MEDIA | CONTENT MEETS SILICON VALLEY |

Sriram Krishnan is a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz. He's also the popular host of the Good Time Show, a late-night Clubhouse event that has featured guests such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Calvin Harris and more. Before getting into venture capital, Sriram spent more than a decade across Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat.  Sriram has had an incredible journey: he grew up in India, came to the States and worked with Silicon Valley's top 1%. In this conversation, we talk about what it's like to be around people like Jack Dorsey and Evan Spiegel, his content creator learnings, tips for anyone hoping to break into tech and more.  I'm a big fan of Sriram's content. You can find his YouTube channel here and subscribe to the GTS Clubhouse show here. If you liked  this episode, check out our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter! A thank to our sponsors Universe and CashApp for making this podcast possible.   THE QUEST MEDIA | CONTENT MEETS SILICON VALLEY |

Welcome to my new show OnlyFriends, where my Silicon Valley group chat comes to life. On this episode, we discuss the Billionaire tax, the antiwork phenomenon, Faze Clan's billion dollar SPAC deal, and the nature of paternity leave.Starring: Justin Kan: Twitch co-founder and investor at Goat Capital (https://twitter.com/justinkan)Emmett Shear: Twitch co-founder and current Twitch CEO (https://twitter.com/eshear)Michael Seibel: Twitch co-founder and CEO of Y Combinator (https://twitter.com/mwseibel)Nicole Farb: Darby Smart co-founder and investor at Headline (https://twitter.com/nicolefarb)Submit your story to Dear OnlyFriends here! If you liked  this episode, check out our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter! A thank to our sponsors Universe and CashApp for making this podcast possible.   THE QUEST MEDIA | CONTENT MEETS SILICON VALLEY |

Adam Jackson and Gabriel Luna-Ostaseski are the co-founders of Braintrust, a decentralized talent network connecting freelancers with organizations. The platform is 100% user-controlled, with the BTRST token being used as the incentive to vet talent and refer clients (BTRST is listed for public purchase on Coinbase).  I knew both Adam and Gabe from their past life investing and building web2 marketplaces. This episode is a crash course for me understanding how a web3 startup works: we talk about the cold start problem when building a marketplace, token governance, letting a DAO vote on protocols and tips for aspiring founders building on blockchains. Adam and Gabe also inspired me to start my own crypto project, which I can't wait to share with you soon. Check out Braintrust at https://www.usebraintrust.com! If you liked this episode, check out our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter! A thank to our sponsors Universe and CashApp for making this podcast possible.   THE QUEST MEDIA | CONTENT MEETS SILICON VALLEY |

Matt Mochary is an operator, investor and coach to top tech leaders at companies including Coinbase, Opendoor, Bolt and Clearbit. He is the best in the Valley at what he does, with a notable clientele spanning from Naval Ravikant to Sam Altman. After selling his startup in 1999 for millions, he surfed, made movies, worked with ex-cons then developed the Mochary Method to help tech CEOs excel.  Matt was my CEO coach during my time at Atrium. My friend Steve Huffman, CEO at Reddit, said he helped Reddit “save millions”. When I was confronted with difficult feedback, Matt helped me navigate my emotions. He also coached me out of my pit, and showed me what an effective leader does in their “Zone of Genius”.  In this conversation, we dive into the Mochary Method and his book “The Great CEO Within”. I ask him about tips that have transformed many into the world's best CEOs, and actionable advice for personal growth. I also share a personal story of facing the anxiety from my past and overcoming it with an old friend. Check out the Mochary Method at https://mocharymethod.org and "The Great CEO Within" on Amazon. If you liked  this episode, check out our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter! A thank to our sponsors Universe and CashApp for making this podcast possible.   THE QUEST MEDIA | CONTENT MEETS SILICON VALLEY |

Welcome to my new show OnlyFriends, where my Silicon Valley group chat comes to life. On this episode, we discuss  my new companies, our new advice segment, Dear OnlyFriends, the COVID vaccine, Coinbase's mission-focused statement, and crypto gaming.  Starring: Justin Kan: Twitch co-founder and investor at Goat Capital (https://twitter.com/justinkan)Emmett Shear: Twitch co-founder and current Twitch CEO (https://twitter.com/eshear)Michael Seibel: Twitch co-founder and CEO of Y Combinator (https://twitter.com/mwseibel)Nicole Farb: Darby Smart co-founder and investor at Headline (https://twitter.com/nicolefarb)Submit your story to Dear OnlyFriends here! If you liked  this episode, check out our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter! A thank to our sponsors Universe and CashApp for making this podcast possible.   THE QUEST MEDIA | CONTENT MEETS SILICON VALLEY |

Airbnb almost didn't make it. Here's the story of how they got into Y Combinator, after a few screw-ups, tons of breakfast cereals sold, an improbable email and advice from a sad Emmett who could've invested at the perfect moment.  I also shared this story on my YouTube channel and Twitter. Drop a comment to let me know what you think which startup stories you want to hear about next! A thank to our sponsors Universe and CashApp for making this podcast possible. THE QUEST MEDIA | CONTENT MEETS SILICON VALLEY |

Welcome to my new show OnlyFriends, where my Silicon Valley group chat comes to life. On this episode, we discuss  my new companies, our new advice segment, Dear OnlyFriends, the COVID vaccine, Coinbase's mission-focused statement, and crypto gaming.  Starring: Justin Kan: Twitch co-founder and investor at Goat Capital (https://twitter.com/justinkan)Emmett Shear: Twitch co-founder and current Twitch CEO (https://twitter.com/eshear)Michael Seibel: Twitch co-founder and CEO of Y Combinator (https://twitter.com/mwseibel)Nicole Farb: Darby Smart co-founder and investor at Headline (https://twitter.com/nicolefarb)Submit your story to Dear OnlyFriends here! If you liked  this episode, check out our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter! A thank to our sponsors Universe and CashApp for making this podcast possible.   THE QUEST MEDIA | CONTENT MEETS SILICON VALLEY |

In this episode I get “Closer” with Alex Pall and Drew Taggart, known to the world as the DJ duo The Chainsmokers. I love the energy that Alex and Drew bring to everything they do, and this podcast was no exception. In a fun discussion, we talk about the early days of hacking Hype Machine to launch their careers, breaking out with Selfie, becoming Grammy winning musicians and DJs, the ups and downs of music and facing depression, and what they look for in founders they invest in.  Join us in a first interview and open discussion the duo has had since announcing their social media hiatus. (This episode was originally released as S1:E5 in 2020) If you liked  this episode, check out our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter! A thank to our sponsors Universe and CashApp for making this podcast possible.   THE QUEST MEDIA | CONTENT MEETS SILICON VALLEY |

Welcome to my new show OnlyFriends, where my Silicon Valley group chat comes to life. On this episode, we discuss China banning crypto, the Theranos trial and fraud in Silicon Valley, whether Facebook is unethical, and free startup ideas. Starring: Justin Kan: Twitch co-founder and investor at Goat Capital (https://twitter.com/justinkan) Emmett Shear: Twitch co-founder and current Twitch CEO (https://twitter.com/eshear) Michael Seibel: Twitch co-founder and CEO of Y Combinator (https://twitter.com/mwseibel) Nicole Farb: Darby Smart co-founder and investor at Headline (https://twitter.com/nicolefarb)If you liked  this episode, check out our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter! A thank to our sponsors Universe and CashApp for making this podcast possible.   THE QUEST MEDIA | CONTENT MEETS SILICON VALLEY |

I sat down with my Justin.tv cofounder, Michael Seibel, to talk about how we turned our live reality show Justin.tv into the global platform that eventually became Twitch. Michael was previously the CEO of Y Combinator, the seed stage fund known as the first investor in Stripe, Dropbox, Instacart, Coinbase, Reddit, and thousands of other startups. Michael is one of my closest friends and an amazing mentor. In this episode we talk about his education at Yale, founding Justin.tv together, mentoring the Airbnb founders early on, how to get funded by Y Combinator, and so much more.  (This episode was originally released as S1:E1 in 2020) If you liked  this episode, check out our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter! A thank to our sponsors Universe and CashApp for making this podcast possible.   THE QUEST MEDIA | CONTENT MEETS SILICON VALLEY |

You are sabotaging your own personal and professional growth if you're not finding time to read. Today I'm joined by my good friend Jason Tan (previously CEO of Sift) on books that shaped who are. Here are the 9 books:Shoe Dog by Phil Knight15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by Chapman, Jim Dethmer, and Kaley KlempThe Untethered Soul by Michael SingerInfluence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini The Artist's Way by Julia CameronSiddhartha by Hermann HesseConversations with God by Neale Donald WalschShogun by James ClavellDare To Lead by Brené Brown I also talked about the 9 books on my YouTube channel and Twitter. Drop a comment to let me know what you think! I'd love to get some book recommendations from you guys too. A thank to our sponsors Universe and CashApp for making this podcast possible. THE QUEST MEDIA | CONTENT MEETS SILICON VALLEY |

Chris Best is the CEO and founder of Substack, an online publication platform that provides independent writers with distribution, payment, analytics, and design infrastructure. Chris represents an open challenge to both traditional media institutions and social media. I love the idea of empowering anyone to publish and monetize their ideas and own their audience. In this episode, Chris and I explore the origin story behind Substack, discuss the effects of social media on writing and publishing, how to effectively distribute your content, media outlets, and the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people. Check out the full uncut episode on YouTube! A thank to our sponsors Universe and CashApp for making this podcast possible. THE QUEST MEDIA | CONTENT MEETS SILICON VALLEY |

We burned through $140 million dollars making these mistakes, so you don't have to.  On this bonus episode, I'm joined by my friend James Beshara, CEO of Tilt, who also recently started Magic Mind. We talk about the mistakes we've made as founders, and our learnings through blood sweat, and tears. Here are some of them: Don't wait forever to start your company.Commit to truth, not consistency.Don't start a services company.Never lose your focus.Don't start companies with co-founders that you've just metAlways do background reference check.Don't raise money just because you can.... Check out the full episode for more! (Here's the YouTube version)  You can find James on Twitter and Instagram. Go try out Magic Mind and use my code JUSTIN for 50% off.  A thank to our sponsors Universe and CashApp for making this podcast possible. THE QUEST MEDIA | CONTENT MEETS SILICON VALLEY |

I explain the thinking behind some of my best tweets: starting with the product v. distribution debate.  Check out the tweets here:First v second time founders: tweet 1Motivation in startups: tweet 2Psychedelics meme: tweet 3Real and fake friends: tweet 4 Watch this episode in 4K! It's so much more fun: YouTube link.  

Steve Huffman is the founder and CEO of Reddit. I've watched his whole journey since we both started as entrepreneurs in 2005: from founding Reddit, getting acquired by Conde Nast, leaving the company and coming back again as CEO in 2015.  In this episode Steve opened up in a broad ranging conversation that covered the Reddit origin story, his personal growth journey, quitting alcohol, his sometimes contentious relationship to the Reddit community, and more. Reddit just raised a Series F, bringing its total capital raised to $700M. I think this is a timely moment to revisit Steve's story. You can also check out Reddit's other co-founder Alexis Ohanian's episode here.  (This episode was originally released as S1:E8 in 2020) 

Sasha Grey is one of the coolest personalities on the internet. While she is probably best known for her legendary tenure in the porn industry, she has since found success as an artist. Sasha has transitioned into a writer, musician, and popular Twitch streamer with almost 1 million followers. Something that really struck me about Sasha is her tenacity and grit, qualities that I think are exclusive to the greatest creators and founders. She went from bussing tables at a steakhouse, saving up a couple thousand dollars, and betting it all on moving to LA to pursue her dream. We discuss her rapid ascent to stardom in the porn industry, why she left it all behind, and the struggle to be taken seriously by people who dwell on the past. Enjoyed this episode? The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest Pod:Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily 

Alexandra and Andrea Botez are my favorite content creators in the game right now. The sisters run BotezLive, one of the biggest chess-streaming channels on Twitch and YouTube with over 900,000 subscribers. Since the age of six, Alexandra has fought tooth and nail to earn her recognition and success. These experiences developed the resilience that fueled her professional chess career, and transitioned her into the content creation grind.  In this episode we dive deep into the gritty reality of what it really takes to become a full-time streamer, lessons from failed startups, learning how to take constructive criticism, and figuring out how to bring authenticity to content creation. If you are an aspiring creator yourself, the Botez sisters have some extremely valuable takeaways - so stay tuned. Enjoyed this episode? The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest Pod:Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily 

I've known Alexis Ohanian for almost fifteen years, ever since we were in the trenches together as part of the first Y Combinator cohort. He is best known as the co-founder of Reddit, a fellow former partner at YC, and the founder of his new venture fund, Seven Seven Six.  Alexis and I became close friends during our time at YC together, and I witnessed the trials and tribulations he went through while building Reddit first-hand. I've had the pleasure of watching my friend grow into a great founder, leader, investor, and parent. In this episode, Alexis opens up about his personal struggles during the early days of Reddit, the challenges of modern parenthood, and the philosophy behind Seven Seven Six. I really appreciate Alexis for being so vulnerable in this episode, and I think it is a powerful message that all founders need to hear. Follow Alexis on Twitter here, and find out more about Seven Seven Six here. Enjoyed this episode? The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest Pod:Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily 

Austen Allred is the founder and CEO of Lambda School, an online coding school that doesn't charge students tuition until they get hired. Growing up Mormon, Austen worked as a missionary and lived out of a car before applying to Y-Combinator. These experiences taught him about resilience, which kept him laser focused on candidate success through media praise and controversy.  Austen's mission to democratize education really resonates with me. In this episode, we discuss moving to the Valley, going through Y-Combinator and being caught in the political tensions surrounding free education. We dive into the concepts of ISAs, the future of education and American Dream as a service. You can follow Austen on his Twitter, and check out Lambda School here.The Quest x Universe Site-Building Contest (until 17th August): The Quest Pod is partnering with Universe App to give away $1000 in cash, plus a chance to pitch me your worst startup ideas (and get roasted ) in a YouTube video! The rules are simple:Come up with the worst startup/product idea ever - the more unethical, inefficient, or useless it is, the better,Download the Universe app and build a basic landing page for your idea. Must clearly state what the product/company is, and its purpose,Follow me on Twitter, and submit your site URL and basic details on the attached entry formKeep an eye on your Twitter DM's - I'll contact you if you win. The entry form is available here. Enjoyed this episode? The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest Pod:Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily 

Matteo Franceschetti is the CEO and co-founder of Eight Sleep, a smart mattress company focused on optimizing sleep quality, duration, and recovery through insights and analytics. The company has raised over $40 million since its inception in 2014. In this episode, we discuss practical advice on improving health and longevity through optimizing sleep, the importance of prototyping your product, and the unique challenges of scaling a hardware company. Matteo recounts the development of his intense competitive drive as a boy growing up in Italy, his pivot into startups coming from a career as a lawyer, the YC experience, learning to be an effective communicator and leader, and the laborious process of finding product-market fit. The Quest Pod x Universe Site-Building Contest: The Quest Pod is partnering with Universe App to give away $1000 in cash, plus a chance to pitch me your worst startup ideas (and get roasted ) in a YouTube video! The rules are simple: Come up with the worst startup/product idea ever - the more unethical, inefficient, or useless it is, the better, Download the Universe app and build a basic landing page for your idea. Must clearly state what the product/company is, and its purpose, Follow me on Twitter, and submit your site URL and basic details here Keep an eye on your Twitter DM's - I'll contact you if you win. Enjoyed this episode? The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest Pod:Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily 

When Justin.tv launched in 2007, we had no idea what it would eventually become. Don't be fooled; the journey was far from glamorous. In this episode I sit down with my good friends and Twitch co-founders Michael, Emmett, and Kyle to reminisce on the glory days of building Justin.tv and Twitch. We laugh about behind the scenes stories you haven't heard anywhere else, reflect on the best and worst moments, how we worked well as a team, discuss joy and motivation, and fantasize about solving the problems of tomorrow.  You'll hear the importance of building ‘bad' things quickly, developing the right mindset for building a startup, and how to stay curious. Check out the full episode on Justin Kan's YouTube channel here. Enjoyed this episode? The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest:Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily 

Missed Part 1 of this conversation? Check out last week's episode, or head over to The Quest YouTube channel for the full episode.Last week, Conor and I discussed augmenting collective and individual intelligence, evangelical churches, anthropology, and truth-seeking. Continuing from where we left off, we dive further into the philosophy behind Roam Research, the concept of networked thought, climate change, empowerment, and self-love. This was a powerful conversation about how communities allow all of us to hold each other accountable, and develop a deeply connected sense of trust.Enjoyed this episode? The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest:Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily

You are listening to Part 1 of the episode. The full uncut conversation is available on The Quest Youtube Channel.Conor White-Sullivan is the founder of Roam Research, a note-taking app that is taking the world by storm. Deeply curious about the ideas of ‘networked' and structured thought, Conor spent nine months immersing himself and studying Evangelical Christian communities. The first part of our conversation revolves around the topics of Evangelical churches, anthropology and the paradox of choice. We talk about augmenting collective and individual intelligence, and the relationship between community, purpose, and truth-seeking. Stay tuned for Part 2 next week, where we dive into the philosophy behind Roam, networked thought, climate change, empowerment, and self-love.The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest:Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily

Gary Vaynerchuck (aka GaryVee) is the truest sense of the word ‘entrepreneur' and has established himself as one of the most dynamic and charismatic business personalities on the Internet. Gary is the Chairman of VaynerX and CEO of VaynerMedia; he runs a vastly popular YouTube channel with over 3 million subscribers, and has 20+ million followers across his social media platforms. One thing you can count on is Gary's uncanny ability to recognize emerging trends in business: he was an early investor in Twitter, Uber, Tumblr, and Snap. As a fellow content creator, I really admire his passionate approach to empowering young entrepreneurs, and his vocalism on topics of consumer behavior and digital markets. In this conversation, Gary and I talk about everything from his childhood to the idea of living life in a ‘cocoon'. Beyond the intense and, at times, polarizing presence he has online, Gary shares the vulnerable moments, stories, and lessons that you won't hear anywhere else. We share thoughts on materialism, happiness, the power of being an influencer, and the journey to finding what you truly love. The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest:Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily 

Robin Chan is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, and one of my best friends. Last year, we co-founded Goat Capital, a $50 million seed fund. He has been an early investor in some of the biggest companies around the world from Silicon Valley to China, including Uber, Square, Twitter and XiaoMi.Robin is someone I really admire beyond his business acumen and success. In this conversation, we talk about when we first met while I was still working on Justin.TV, investing in climate change, and meeting Jack Dorsey for the first time. We discuss learning to put yourself in uncomfortable situations, becoming a student of the world, and constantly asking questions. One thing I've learned from Robin is the importance of creating an environment focused on giving to others, with no expectations attached. You'll learn to focus on building meaningful relationships instead of transactional connections.You can find Robin on Twitter and LinkedinThe incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest:Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily 

Odunayo Eweniyi is an inspiring and refreshing ambassador for female founders around the world, and I'm very excited to bring you her story. The co-founder and COO of Piggy Vest is a Nigerian business executive and activist. Her accomplishments have earned her recognition in Forbes Africa's list of 20 New Wealth Creators in Africa 2019, Bloomberg 50 2020, and Time 100.  Beyond her accolades, Odunayo's entrepreneurial journey was born out of determination and bravery to make a positive change for the world. As we explore her entrepreneurial path, you'll learn the importance of not internalizing failure, projecting calmness in the face of stress, accepting imperfection, and the strength of patience. She is a reminder to the world that you don't need to be a ‘tech bro' from Silicon Valley to be a successful founder – you just need the right vision, unflinching determination, and a strong heart.  You can find Odunayo on Twitter and LinkedIn.  The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest: Universe | The best command centre for building your online business and content.Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily 

You are listening to Part 2 of the episode. The full uncut conversation is available on The Quest Youtube Channel. Join the conversation there and drop a comment on what you've learned!  Picking up where we left off last week, Balaji dives right into the future of Network States and crypto-voting. You'll learn about the historical relationship between socio-economic ideologies and technological capabilities, and what this means for a crypto future. We discuss how building startups potentiates building cities in the near future, the concept of crowd choice, and revolutionizing voting systems with crypto technologies. The new digital frontier is waiting to be conquered, and Balaji is leading the charge. You can find Balaji on Twitter, and read his personal blog here. 

You are listening to Part 1 of the episode. The full uncut conversation is available on The Quest Youtube Channel. Help us get to 50 comments on YouTube and we will make Part II available everywhere next week!  It's Balaji's world, and we're all just living in it. If you've been hanging out on tech Twitter long enough or listen to any other tech podcasts, then you're probably familiar with Balaji. He is an angel investor, entrepreneur, and formerly the CTO of Coinbase and General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz.  In this epic two-part episode, you'll hear topics ranging from decentralization, crypto, media tech, social networking, China, machine learning, digital privacy and much more. Balaji has one of the most incredible minds I have ever met, and I am excited to bring you along on this journey.  There is a lot to take in from our conversation, which is why we have decided to release this in two parts. Help us get to 50 comments on YouTube and we will make Part II available everywhere!  You can find Balaji on Twitter, and read his personal blog here. 

My first company, Twitch, sold for almost a billion dollars. My second one lost $75 million in 36 months. People love talking about success, but today I want to talk about failure. Early last year, I announced the closure of my company with a heavy heart. Atrium marks a sinister period in my life consumed by failure and pain, but also one of learning and reflection. Just over a year removed, it is time to be honest and tell the full story behind the fall of Atrium. In this episode, you will hear about building for purpose, the importance of a clear mission, hiring too quickly, embracing failure, and asking yourself difficult questions. Will you let your failures define you, or emerge a stronger and better person? Read the full article on this topic here, or watch the video I made on this topic here.

Laura Deming is not your typical VC. She is the founder and partner of The Longevity Fund, a venture capital firm focused on the study of aging and life extension in humans. Home-schooled in New Zealand, she moved to the U.S with her family to work in an age genetics lab at just twelve years old before dropping out of MIT at fourteen following her acceptance as a Thiel Fellow.  In this episode, Laura and I discuss her journey to become an effective leader, taking risks, dealing with failure, and being motivated to change the world for a better place. Beyond her impressive resume, she is a reminder that great founders can come from anywhere, so long as you have the passion to pursue something relentlessly and are not afraid to step outside your comfort zone. If you are interested in discussions about pushing the boundaries of science, technology, and concepts of biological immortality, you definitely don’t want to miss this episode. You can find Laura on Twitter and check out her blog here.  

Wellbeing in the workplace starts with transparency, vulnerability, and empathy. Mathilde Collin is the co-founder and CEO of Front App, where her mission is to help people everywhere find meaning and happiness with their work. I met Mathilde when she was going through Y Combinator back in 2014, and she has since raised over $138 million in venture capital funding. Mathilde took a leap of faith - she came all the way to San Francisco to pursue her start-up dream from France, despite never having travelled outside of Europe before her interview at YC.Mathilde is one of the most aware founders I know of. We discuss the importance of viewing founders and CEOs as people, showing vulnerability as a leader. We also discuss accepting change within ourselves and in other people, and its importance in framing ideas of happiness. What I admire the most about Mathilde is how she has been able to challenge the workplace status quo with honesty, empathy and radical transparency. You can find Mathilde on Twitter and read her musings here.  

Could you imagine what it would be like to suffer a panic attack in front of five million people on live television? Journalist, author, and co-founder of 10% Happier, Dan Harris, was subjected to this terrifying experience as a news anchor on Good Morning America. Since this ordeal, he has embarked on a mission to encourage us to ask an important question: what is happiness, and how can we work towards it?  I've been following Dan's journey for a long time. His work really resonates with me and I have applied a lot of similar ideas in my own journey to happiness, specifically his advocacy for meditation, exercise, and developing healthy social habits to increase mindfulness. We dive deep into Buddhist concepts, the dangers of extrinsic comparison, the Hedonic Treadmill, rescuing the idea of ‘love’, and dealing with depression and anxiety. Despite a world of growing excess, we often still feel like we are missing something. Dan’s mission of encouraging more people to seriously consider happiness is something we need now more than ever.  His book, 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works, is available on Amazon and everywhere else. You can also find his meditation and wellness app, 10 Percent Happier, on the App Store and Google Play Store. 

This is a story about redemption, pain, forgiveness, and love. Jewel is a four-time Grammy nominated singer, songwriter, actress and author who has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Behind her incredibly successful career, she has lived an inspiring story filled with spirit and perseverance.  This is one of the most powerful conversations I’ve ever had, and I am grateful that she was willing to be so vulnerable. In this episode we discuss her rough childhood, resorting to stealing when she was homeless, confronting trauma, and learning to love and forgive. I learned a lot from our conversation, particularly that our pain does not define us, it is how we choose to confront it that shapes us. 

Eric Nam is one of the most exciting powerhouse talents in entertainment. The Atlanta-born talent is a singer, songwriter, TV host, entrepreneur, and K-pop icon, garnering over 300 million streams. Alongside his two brothers, he also runs one of the top podcasts in the industry. I was told that Eric is one of 'the most loved male artists' in Korea, and now I understand why. While most K-pop idols seem out of our reach, I really appreciate Eric for his down-to-earth personality and authenticity. In our conversation, we discuss his experience growing up as an Asian American, his international non-profit work, struggles with depression, quitting his job, and getting an email the next day to start his K-pop career.  Eric is an inspiration for me to seize the media space as an Asian American creator. Whether or not you're a K-pop fan, this is an amazing story about finding your calling, chasing after experiences while you're young, knowing when it's ok to quit, building a business with family, and becoming one of the most beloved creators in the world. 

On the big screen, the stars of Netflix-hit, Bling Empire, seem larger than life. I was fortunate enough to see the more human side to executive producer Kelly Mi Li, who also stars in the show. From living with walls full of rats, to becoming a successful entrepreneur and Hollywood producer, and having $168 million confiscated by her ex-husband in their divorce, Kelly has gone through a lot. She might be known in public by her extravagant personality on-screen, but her lesser-known journey has been one defined by perseverance and hustle.  I have been a fan of Kelly for a while, and this is the first time I got to hear about her come-up story.Kelly has been a very vocal leader for the Asian community, and I find her especially inspiring as an Asian-American creator myself. In this episode, we discuss the purpose of our work, and what it means to pave the way for others and be inspired by those who came before us. You’ll also hear advice on how to learn to be alone with yourself, and cutting your burn rate to make better financial decisions.

Garry Tan is a very close friend of mine. The co-founder of Initialized Capital is a veteran entrepreneur, investor, and online content creator. We share a familiar story: a couple of young Asian guys from a family of immigrants in America, building a career in tech, and eventually partnering at Y-Combinator. He also runs a popular YouTube channel, which has inspired me to create my own online content.  This episode is particularly special to me because of how vulnerable Garry was willing to be, and how deeply connected I felt to him after our conversation. It was his trust in me that allowed us to discuss topics he hasn’t revealed anywhere else – growing up with an alcoholic father, going through therapy, learning to pull back the mask, and recognizing when expectations can be self-destructive. I am incredibly grateful for the amount of trust Garry has placed in me as a friend.  This episode is a reminder for me personally that everyone is fighting their own battles. Conversations like this one with Garry represent why I started this podcast: to bring these stories to you. 

Moses Lo is a survivor. But the co-founder and CEO of Xendit didn’t get there by chance – he engineered his own luck. I first met Moses through Y Combinator in 2015, and he’s still as scrappy now as he was back then. He had just stepped foot into Silicon Valley, coming all the way from Australia to pursue his ambition. The six week program changed his life forever.  From an office filled with flying cockroaches, Moses and his team would go on to raise over $80 million and cement themselves as an integral part of payments infrastructure in Southeast Asia.  I admire Moses a lot, especially his attitude to life. In our conversation, we discuss intentionality and the importance of making choices with conviction. We also talk about what founders can learn from cockroaches: their ability to adapt and survive. You’ll hear about how to make tough decisions, move forward, and design your own luck.  One more thing: the Asian-American community has recently experienced a surge in discrimination and violence fuelled by hate. Elders have been viciously attacked, murdered and killed on the streets. For this month, we will be highlighting AA community and leaders on this podcast. If you want to help, you can donate here.  

Molly Bloom started out as a freestyle skier, but somehow found her way into Hollywood through a poker game. Molly had to give up on her Olympic aspirations after sustaining a serious back injury in 2002. During a gap year before law school, she moved to LA and ended up running one of the biggest high-stake poker games in the world (first in LA, then later in New York). Her clientele came from Hollywood’s top 1%, including Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Matt Damon. If you've watched the Oscar-nominated movie Molly's Game, you know what happened next: she got robbed at gunpoint and raided by FBI. They seized all her assets, and she became a convicted felon.  In this episode, we dive into the bigger story: how Molly found her path to redemption, giving up her wealth and status in pursuit of happiness. We talk about the real story behind the movie, her battles with substance addiction, reconnecting with her family and finding closure from her past. 

While many of us were drinking our youth away, Cameron confronted one of the most difficult battles in life: death. He devoted himself to a decade of spiritual pursuit from the age of 20, working at a hospice and preparing for his own death ritual. He then became a coach, sharing the lessons he learned with business executives in Silicon Valley. He later founded Torch, a leadership development platform teaching empathy, which has raised close to $40 million to date. I first met Cameron at his clinic. I watched him grow into a startup founder, as I transitioned from building Atrium to beginning my inner journey. In this episode, we sit down to talk about our learnings from both ends of the spectrum: what it’s like to lose a dear friend, being a leader who can empathize with the pains of others, and coming to terms with our own death. 

‘I don’t know why everything has to happen in f***ing biblical proportions in my life, but it does.’ I resonate with Sophia's story a lot. After bootstrapping her Ebay vintage store Nasty Gal to $28 million in revenue, she was named by Forbes as one of the richest self-made women in America. But in a sudden swing, both her marriage and career fell apart within 3 months. The ultimate dagger: the divorce and bankruptcy news broke while the Netflix show about her life, Girlboss, was aired. But Sophia didn’t give up. She launched her book, podcast, media company and business class. As a community-college dropout with no pedigree, she proved everyone wrong by going on to start many more businesses, including her newest one, Business Class, which she bootstrapped to a million in revenue in under a year.  In this episode, we talk about the highlights and lowlights: what happened during that fateful year, how she dealt with the pain and moved forward. Sophia exemplifies what The Quest is about - I am excited and humbled to share our conversation with you. 

I started The Quest to share the stories and lessons that I wish I had heard 15 years ago. Building and selling Twitch was an inflection point for me in the past decade. I worked my ass off, made money, took vacations and felt like I was on top of the world. I blew past the goals I had set for myself in the beginning.  But what was fascinating was that while I felt more accomplished, I wasn’t any happier. I was just holding on to more things. The desire to go bigger and make more nagged constantly at me. After a year and a half at Y Combinator, I left and set out to build another company in the most mercenary way I can think of, then lost millions when it fell apart.  On this episode, I reflect on the trap of the hedonic treadmill. It led me down a dangerous path chasing material possessions and peer approval - things I thought would fulfil me, but only made me feel perpetually dissatisfied.