From growing up together at school in Armstrong to launching a global tech company in their early 20s, the past four years have been a whirlwind for Austin Walper and Kieran Eglin.
The two Pleasant Valley Secondary School graduates saw a shift in the advertising world in 2017 and turned it into PLAYR.gg, a Kelowna-based startup that香蕉视频直播檚 thriving while helping brands make smarter marketing decisions.
香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 a technology platform that enables content creators to grow their audiences and capture customer data,香蕉视频直播� Walper said of the company that香蕉视频直播檚 been used by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and EA Sports.
Well before PLAYR.gg secured those and other big-name clients 香蕉视频直播� before Walper was travelling to international conferences raising $2.3 million in venture capital, and also before the company was sold to Toronto-based social intelligence platform Trufan last November 香蕉视频直播� it was a re-connection with Eglin that kicked off the journey to tech startup stardom.
香蕉视频直播淏efore I knew it I was both feet in.香蕉视频直播�
Walper was working in retail full-time in 2017, and he was at a breaking point.
香蕉视频直播淭hat香蕉视频直播檚 kind of when I hit a rock-bottom moment in my life where I wasn香蕉视频直播檛 very happy and really wanted to start a company,香蕉视频直播� said Walper, now 25. 香蕉视频直播淎nd I needed a software developer to partner up with to help me build the tech.香蕉视频直播�
After quitting his job, selling his car and going 香蕉视频直播榓ll-in,香蕉视频直播� Walper reached out to Eglin, who was already working as a software engineer.
After months of designing, the two rural North Okanagan kids had a product that would soon capture international attention in the gaming industry and beyond.
香蕉视频直播淜ieran was the brains behind the technology. He unfortunately didn香蕉视频直播檛 get to come to any of the shows, but he was the one at home working long nights making sure our app didn香蕉视频直播檛 crash during any events,香蕉视频直播� Walper said.
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For Eglin, now 24 and the senior software developer for the acquiring company, leaving behind a more conventional engineering job felt like a major risk. But as for Walper, the decision to get on board came down to being in control of his work 香蕉视频直播� even if it meant a total collapse in work-life-balance in the near term.
香蕉视频直播淵ou almost get lost in it sometimes,香蕉视频直播� Eglin said of the countless hours he put into the initial designs.
It didn香蕉视频直播檛 take long for their efforts to pay off; immediately upon launching at a conference in San Francisco in 2018, the company saw massive growth.
香蕉视频直播淚 think we had something like 75,000 users in our first weekend on the app,香蕉视频直播� Walper said, describing the 香蕉视频直播渉ockey stick香蕉视频直播� line graph all start-ups dream of in their first quarter.
香蕉视频直播淚 felt like I was in a movie, but it was my life.香蕉视频直播�
While his co-founder was in the spotlight, Eglin was likewise feeling invigorated 香蕉视频直播� and exhausted 香蕉视频直播� at home in Armstrong working on the tech, work he continues to do with Trufan on its SocialRank platform.
香蕉视频直播淚t was very stressful but very rewarding,香蕉视频直播� Eglin said. 香蕉视频直播淎nd being able to see just day-by-day that the product you want to build is getting built 香蕉视频直播� and people are using it? It香蕉视频直播檚 a good feeling.香蕉视频直播�
With over a million active users on the platform they created to date, the two are onto their next chapters.
Walper has had time to reflect on the life and career path he wants to chart from here. It香蕉视频直播檚 helped that he香蕉视频直播檚 no longer on an airplane every month and working 100-hour weeks, having left the company on April 1.
香蕉视频直播淚 realized I wanted to focus on things that make me happy, now that I香蕉视频直播檝e kind of had this moment of creating something big,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淲hen you run a big company with lots of people and lots of investors and customers, it becomes very hard to have a life.香蕉视频直播�
He said he wants his next venture to make a positive impact in the world, but having some free time for skiing, hiking and camping is also a welcome change of pace.
Looking back, the ups and downs of entrepreneurship have created a lasting bond between the two former schoolmates.
香蕉视频直播淚n many ways Kieran kept me sane and I got to witness him become a better technology leader but also become a much more mature individual as well.
香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檒l probably have a lifelong friendship because of it.香蕉视频直播�
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