This week we speak with Austin Yoshino, serial entrepreneur and founder of Joyn, a social-communication platform leveraging AI to create new social experiences and enable the next generation of advertising.
Tell us about your company.
Austin: Joyn's origin stems from upbringing in Hawaii with a culture that puts people first. Being born and raised here gave me 2 unique insights:
1) Surrounding yourself with genuine relationships leads to better life quality
2) Connecting with people this way is also better for business
As a result, Joyn is the anti-networking, networking app designed to connect people based on who they are vs what they do.
What made you become an entrepreneur?
Austin: I became an entrepreneur in college when I wanted to bring a solution to market that I felt no one was going too.
What is the most challenging part of running your own startup?
Austin: Everything...in the founder-stage you are literally doing everything. Completing the voyage simultaneously requires you to build, paddle, and steer the boat while also guiding it to landfall. Finding ways to keep the boat afloat, on-target, and moving is insanely challenging.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced when looking for funding?
Austin: Talking to the right investors & making sure the timing is right. There's a lot more reasons for "no" then there are for a "yes", making sure all the stars align can be challenging.
What is the most rewarding aspect of entrepreneurship?
Austin: Executing visions. Seeing something in your head that you obsess over 24/7 come to life is the most rewarding part about playing this game.
Joyn is now available on the app stores: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/joyn-chat/id6444626347?mt=8.
To learn more, connect with Austin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-yoshino/.
Comments