In the heart of Romania, nestled in a sleepy village known for its vast fields, farm animals, and quaint shops, lives a young enterprising kid named Calin. Despite the rustic simplicity of his hometown and modest household, Calin’s journey from an ordinary kid playing Minecraft on an old PC to the owner of a massive hosting company is nothing short of legendary.

Growing up, Calin faced financial hardships and social challenges. Struggling in school and feeling socially awkward, he found solace and inspiration in the world of computers and video games. Minecraft, a game that allows players to create and explore virtual worlds, became his refuge and his first foray into the digital realm.

To earn a small income at the age of 13, Calin began a side hustle creating free accounts through Epic Games and reselling them for a small profit. This early entrepreneurial spirit hinted at his future endeavors. When he wanted to rent his own Minecraft server but lacked the funds, he used his saved-up money to buy a server that he operated from his house. This server eventually led to his first hosting client when he charged another Minecraft player a small fee to host their server from his home. At just 15, Minecraft had become the gateway to his first business venture.

Recognizing the potential for growth, Calin registered the domain name ihostart.com. Initially, his servers were hosted on homemade wooden racks, but as his user base grew, so did his ambition. Eventually, he outgrew his home server setup and moved his operations to a tier 3 data center, boasting 160 servers.

Calin’s journey from a small village in Romania to running a significant tech company is a testament to his ingenuity and determination. “Yes, my family knows what I do, there is nothing to hide and there is nothing illegal in what I do. I pay taxes, I work quite a lot, my family knows that I have a tech company,” Calin shared. Despite his success, he remains humble and prefers not to flaunt his achievements. “People I meet rarely or randomly, I don’t like to say from the beginning that I own a tech company. In general, I tell them that I work as tech support or work on the economy salary. I don’t want people to think of me only in terms of money.”

Running a tech company, especially one that sometimes deals with controversial content, comes with its share of challenges. “Yes, there were some legal problems, that’s why I wrote in our TOS with CAPSLOCK: NO KIDS PORN, OR AI WITH KIDS PORN, OR DEAD KIDS PHOTOS FROM WARS OR DRUGS/WEAPONS OR OTHER SIMILAR THINGS. WE CONTACT IMMEDIATELY POLICE.” Calin is clear about the boundaries of freedom of expression and the need to protect vulnerable individuals. “This is no longer freedom of expression, it is already madness and endangering children or people.”

Calin’s journey has not been without personal risks. “Regarding doxing, I have a lot of funny stories, and some of them I can’t write here, but I had some people looking for my address, sending me pictures on Google Maps of my house and saying that they are in front of the house and they want to kill me. This was one of the most hardcore moments. They didn’t even know that Google Maps has outdated pictures of my house and where I live,” Calin recounted with a laugh. Hosting controversial sites like KiwiFarms has doubled the harassment, but he remains undeterred. “I don’t mind them as long as it’s not something physical. It’s just freedom of expression.”

Calin’s stance on adult content is pragmatic and tied to the financial sustainability of his company. “We need the money for the investment and growing my company. That’s why we accept any type of fetish for adult content. It is indirectly related to freedom of expression. I can’t decide what a person likes.”

Calin’s support for torrents and free speech stems from his own experiences. “About the torrent thing, it’s all about video games. Whatever video game I played, I would torrent it because I didn’t have the money to buy it.” He views torrents and sites like Z-Library and Anna’s Archive as tools for education, especially for those in poor countries. “The governments only bother to close these websites instead of making them as accessible to the public as possible so that the public can educate themselves.”

Running a hosting service like this does not come without certain challenges. Opponents of some of Calin’s customers have launched DDoS attacks against his servers, causing instability and service disruptions. When asked who might be behind these attacks or why they are targeting him, Calin declined to answer, preferring to focus on the resilience and security of his operations.

Nevertheless, Calin’s commitment to free speech is unwavering. “There are many people who want to express their opinion and are cornered by big mouths. That’s why I’m accepted. We host KiwiFarms, some pro-LGBTQ and some anti-LGBTQ forums. I’m not on anyone’s side. I am not a god to decide what is right and what is not, including on something harmless called the Internet.”

Calin’s journey from a Minecraft-playing kid in a small Romanian village to a tech entrepreneur is a story of resilience, ingenuity, and an unyielding commitment to digital freedom. As his company grows, so does his influence in the tech world, proving that even the most humble beginnings can lead to extraordinary achievements.