DC: What are your names, majors, and graduation years?
Khan: Anaum Khan, Computer Science, 2024
Zack Khan, Computer Science, Spring 2019
Alice Shi, Computer Science, Fall 2019
DC: In two to three sentences, how would you describe your startup?
Khan: Stan is the creator loyalty platform where super fans (or stans as we like to call them) are able to sync their social media accounts to gain points and prizes for engaging with their favorite creators’ content, such as retweeting a tweet or watching a creators’ YouTube video.
DC: At what point did you know you wanted to create your own startup?
Khan: When I went to hackathons (like Technica and Bitcamp at Maryland), I learned how much I loved building new things. That led me to discover startups and join programs like Startup Shell and Terp Startup that further fueled my interest in entrepreneurship.
DC: What or who is your biggest influence for your startup?
Khan: My mom, who works super hard to raise a family, have a successful career, and serve others in her community through her non-profit work.
DC: How have the effects of the pandemic changed your company’s focus or ideas?
Khan: Live streaming blew up over the pandemic. Twitch’s hours watched grew 90% in 2020! This helped validate the need for Stan as more live-streamers joined Twitch to make money doing what they love.
DC: What updates or significant accomplishments can you share with us about your company from the last six months?
Khan: We signed our first creator, Tuonto (who has an audience of over 1 million fans); created our website and application; and launched a beta.
DC: What do you feel that you have achieved from participating in Terp Startup Accelerator this summer?
Khan: I learned a ton about all aspects of running a business that I didn’t have exposure to before, like market sizing, pricing, and more. I also got to meet an awesome community of fellow UMD entrepreneurs!
DC: If you could give advice to any aspiring entrepreneurs, what would it be?
Khan: Become close with your customers. That has helped us iterate much faster.