Derek Chan

Time to spill some facts about Derek Chan. This dude’s a straight-up legend in the startup game. So, he’s one of the OGs behind 9GAG, you know, that massive meme hub we all scroll through to waste time? Yeah, he co-founded that back in 2007 or 2008 with his crew, Ray, Chris, Marco, and Brian. They basically built one of the biggest online meme communities out there, with over 150 million users worldwide. That’s no joke.

Before all that, Derek was crushing it in finance, he’s got stints at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, which is wild because it shows he’s got serious chops in the tech and finance worlds. But he jumped into the startup life, and man, he crushed it. Head of Engineering at 9GAG, he was the guy making sure the tech was on point as they grew like crazy. And get this, they did Y Combinator in summer 2012, which is like the holy grail for startups. That gave them a serious boost, and they started getting backing from some big-name investors.

What’s rad about Derek is that his process isn’t just about tech, it’s about passion, hustle, and a real drive to make people laugh and connect. After YC, he split from his co-founder but kept pushing 9GAG forward, growing it profitably to hit $2 million. That’s the kind of grit you don’t see every day. It’s clear he’s someone who’s not just in it for the fame, he genuinely wants to make the world happier, one meme at a time.

Looking at his story, I’d say Derek’s all about taking big risks, jumping into the unknown, and building something that sticks. His background in finance probably gave him the discipline, but his passion for internet culture and community is what really drove him. It’s like he saw the power of memes and wanted to create a platform that brings people together, makes them laugh, and just… keeps the internet fun.

In short, Derek Chan’s the real deal, a tech guy turned meme mogul who’s proven you don’t need to be a Silicon Valley giant to crush it. You just gotta have vision, hustle, and a little bit of crazy. No Cap.