The idea for YouCastr happened in early 2007 when Ariel Diaz and Jeff Hebert were on a drive back to Boston from Dartmouth. The idea was addictive, and they continued to think about how it would work. Not long after, they brought two more people on board: Matt Hodgson, a college friend with great technical skills, and Brad Johnson, an experienced entrepreneur. With the full team assembled, they began working nights and weekends, sitting around Ariel’s kitchen table or roof deck, with a whiteboard, a few laptops, a projector, and a good supply of coffee, Red Bull and pizza. Over the course of the next weeks and months, the team worked on finalizing the business plan, designing the website, creating a marketing plan, and making the dream a reality.

In June, the first round of the website was finished and YouCastr was incorporated. By August, YouCastr was ready for private beta testing and a friend became the first Castr. Over the next several months hundreds of beta users provided great feedback that was incorporate in the February release.