When Twitch unveiled its Dual Format feature, allowing creators to stream simultaneously in horizontal and vertical orientations, one startup was already ready to power the transition. Streamrun, founded in 2024 by Antti Ala-Ilkka, offers a cloud-based streaming platform designed to help creators deliver professional multi-format broadcasts with minimal technical friction.

“Streamrun was built for creators who want to focus on storytelling, not stream setup,” says Antti. “We make it possible to go live in both horizontal and vertical formats, from any device, using any software.”

Based in Helsinki, Finland, Streamrun debuted publicly at TwitchCon San Diego 2025, positioning itself as an enabler of the Dual Format. The platform combines cloud reliability, AI tools, and flexible pricing, catering to Twitch and YouTube creators, IRL streamers, and professional broadcasters alike.

Streamrun isn’t Antti’s first venture. He co-founded Ideakone Oy, developer of Kotisivukone.fi, Finland’s leading DIY website builder, later acquired by Fonecta in 2013. His search software startup, AddSearch, which powered site search for thousands of global clients, was acquired by saas.group in 2023.

“I’ve always been interested in building tools that help people work more efficiently,” Antti says. “Whether it’s web creation, search, or now streaming, my focus has been on removing technical barriers so creators can just do what they do best.”

Fragmented Streaming Experiences

Antti’s motivation for founding Streamrun stems from a recurring issue he observed across years of building digital products: creators struggling with fragmented, device-dependent setups.

“Before Streamrun, if you wanted to broadcast on multiple formats or platforms, you often needed different software, hardware encoders, or complicated routing setups,” he explains. “That complexity created barriers, especially for In Real Life (IRL) streamers or creators who move between mobile and desktop environments.”

Streamrun’s core offering is its cloud-powered streaming server. Instead of running encoding and formatting locally, all processing happens in the cloud. This allows creators to switch devices mid-broadcast, maintain automatic failover protection, and even generate vertical streams automatically from their horizontal layouts.

The result, according to Antti, is a simplified workflow that enables creators to focus on content rather than configuration.

Building for Twitch’s Dual Format Future

At its core, Streamrun is designed to make the Dual Format workflow effortless. With Twitch now encouraging creators to provide both horizontal (desktop) and vertical (mobile) experiences, Streamrun’s infrastructure arrives at the perfect moment.

Through its drag-and-drop Streamrun Editor, users can design two layouts simultaneously, one for each orientation. The platform’s auto-formatting engine can also generate a vertical feed from a horizontal source, automatically repositioning elements such as overlays, chat, and camera angles.

“Creators shouldn’t have to choose between accessibility and quality,” says Antti. “We wanted a system where anyone from a solo IRL streamer to a professional studio can broadcast in both formats without extra hardware.”

By hosting everything in the cloud, Streamrun eliminates the need for encoding rigs. It supports Open Broadcaster Software (OBS), mobile apps, and even action cameras, ensuring compatibility across devices and network conditions.

The platform’s pay-as-you-go model, starting at $0.39 per hour, was designed to lower entry barriers. “We designed our pricing to be as flexible as the creators we serve,” Antti says. “No lock-ins, no minimum commitments. Just start streaming.”

Empowering IRL Creators with Reliability and Control

While Dual Format streaming is a headline feature, Streamrun’s system includes automated failover: if a connection drops, it automatically plays a backup video until the streamer reconnects, avoiding awkward black screens or lost audiences.

“Anyone who’s done IRL streaming knows the pain of losing signal mid-broadcast,” Antti says. “We’ve built in the same kind of redundancy you’d expect in professional broadcast systems, but at creator scale.”

This cloud resilience also enables multi-device continuity. A creator can begin a broadcast from a desktop setup, then seamlessly switch to a mobile camera without ending the stream. The Streamrun Remote Control app provides live management tools from a smartphone. Antti believes this feature is particularly valuable for creators on the move.

The company’s AI-powered optimization tools are designed to further enhance stream quality by dynamically adjusting video and audio parameters to maintain consistency across unstable connections.

Streaming’s Shift Toward Vertical Formats

Streamrun’s rise coincides with a major transformation in online video. Platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts have normalized vertical viewing, while Twitch’s introduction of Dual Format signals a broader shift toward mobile-first consumption.

For creators, this presents both opportunity and complexity. According to Antti, producing content that fits multiple formats without doubling production effort is increasingly essential. Streamrun’s automated format generation directly addresses that issue.

“Viewers now expect to watch streams wherever they are, in whatever orientation they prefer,” says Antti. “We’re helping creators meet that expectation without reinventing their workflows.”

Challenges and Early Lessons

As with any new venture, Streamrun’s development hasn’t been without obstacles. As Antti shares, creating a system capable of low-latency cloud encoding and real-time format conversion required extensive infrastructure testing.

“Latency is the one thing creators won’t compromise on,” he says. “Our biggest challenge was ensuring that cloud processing stayed invisible to the viewer, no extra lag, no dropped frames.”

The company’s engineering team, based in Helsinki, fine-tuned encoding pipelines and load balancing systems to achieve broadcast-grade stability. Streamrun’s early access period included extensive beta testing with IRL creators, esports broadcasters, and production teams.

“The feedback loop with early users has been invaluable,” he says. “They’ve pushed the platform in ways we hadn’t even imagined, streaming from drones, GoPros, remote forests. It’s helped us make Streamrun much more robust.”

Expanding Beyond Twitch

Although the platform’s Twitch integration has attracted attention, Streamrun’s ambitions go beyond a single platform. While the company already supports multi-destination streaming on YouTube Live and Kick, Antti reveals that they are looking to add support for YouTube’s recently announced Dual Format streaming.

“We see Streamrun as part of a broader shift toward cloud-native production,” he explains. “As creators build personal brands that span multiple platforms, they’ll need tools that move as flexibly as they do.”

The company is also exploring collaborative streaming capabilities, i.e., allowing multiple creators to co-broadcast via shared Streamrun sessions, as well as deeper integration with creator monetization tools.

“The creator economy thrives on connection and adaptability,” Antti says. “Our job is to make the tech disappear in the background, so creators can focus on building communities and content.”

Sharing his predictions about where the industry is headed, Antti returns to the same motivation that’s guided his career. “We’re still at the very beginning of what live streaming can be,” he says. “It’s not just entertainment anymore. It’s education, commerce, connection.”

For him, the key to empowering this new generation of creators lies in simplicity and accessibility. “When creators don’t have to worry about formats, hardware, or dropped connections, they can focus entirely on their message,” he concludes. “That’s the kind of freedom Streamrun is built to deliver.”

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