Stephan Walters shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Stephan, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Integrity is most important to me. Intelligence can be learned, and energy is often volatile; it can fluctuate or be influenced by others. But integrity is foundational. It tells me everything I need to know about a person; whether I can trust them, collaborate with them, or even be around them.
When we’re born, the first thing we’re given is our name, and in many ways, it’s the only thing we leave with. So maintaining your integrity; your name, your reputation, is everything.
Maybe it’s also the Taurus in me!! We’re known for being loyal and grounded. But at the end of the day, I’d rather build with people whose word means something.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Stephan Walters, and I’m the founder and creator of Streets; a social event and ticketing platform built specifically to serve underrepresented curators, nightlife producers, DJs, and vendors. With 14 years of professional software development experience, my career in mobile dates all the way back to the iPhone 3G. Every screen, flow, and feature of Streets is the result of my direct development. I’ve written every line of code myself.
What makes Streets special is that it’s not just another event platform; it’s a movement. We’re redefining how communities engage with nightlife by giving independent curators real ownership and tools that are fast, flexible, and community-driven. Our mission is rooted in accessibility, transparency, and cultural relevance, which has resonated with curators who were priced out or overlooked by mainstream platforms.
Streets is currently used by a growing list of collectives, including Freakquency Events and Tru Sundaze, and we’ve supported everything from popup brunches to high-volume nightlife weekends. Right now, we’re expanding our feature set to include tiered messaging tools, guest list automation, and AI-powered event generation; all with the goal of empowering creators to move faster and engage smarter.
It’s rare for a founder to be this close to the technology and the culture, but that’s what makes Streets unique. I’m not just building a product; I’m helping build the future of independent nightlife from the ground up.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The part of me that doubted my abilities and gave in to imposter syndrome. For a long time, even with a track record in tech and entrepreneurship, I questioned whether I belonged in certain rooms or was “qualified” enough to lead. But I’ve learned to own my story, my skills, and the value I bring. That self-doubt may have once kept me humble and hungry, but it no longer serves me. Now, I’m leaning fully into who I am, and what I’m building; with confidence and clarity.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
One of the hardest moments came early in the development of Streets. I had just launched our first large paid event, and everything seemed to be going well; until I received 4 chargebacks, which pushed our dispute ratio to 12.9%. For context, payment processors recommend staying below 0.4%. I panicked. It felt like all my hard work could collapse overnight, and I seriously questioned whether Streets could survive.
I scoured Reddit looking for advice and stumbled across a brutally honest comment in a chargebacks thread:
“If you’re getting a lot of chargebacks, there’s a problem with your business model.”
That hit me hard; but it also snapped me into focus. I realized I needed to treat this like a system design issue. So I went back, reworked parts of the platform, added preventative measures, and implemented extensive logging to detect and defend against future fraud.
Now, a year later, our dispute rate is well below the recommended threshold and that experience taught me how to lead through problems, not around them.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
They’d probably say I’m a bit of a workaholic; someone who doesn’t always know when to take a break. But they’d also tell you that when I set my mind to something, I lock in and give it everything I’ve got. They’d say I’m hardworking, driven, and focused, but also caring, funny, and someone who genuinely wants to see the people around me win. I’m loyal to the core, and I pour into others just as much as I do my work.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
If I retired tomorrow, I think my customers would miss my dedication to listening. I’m constantly checking in with them; not just to troubleshoot, but to understand how they’re using the platform, what’s working, and what’s missing. A lot of what you see in Streets today wasn’t based on what I thought people needed; it was built from real conversations, real pain points, and real feedback.
They’d probably miss the personal touch too. The feeling that someone’s actually in the trenches with them, building a platform that truly puts curators and community first.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thestreetsapp.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/thestreetsapp
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thestreetsapp/
- Twitter: https://x.com/thestreetsapp
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/thestreetsapp
- Other: Blog: https://thestreets.blog
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