Allen Lau

Allen Lau is a Hong Kong-born Canadian entrepreneur who is the co-founder and CEO of Wattpad.[1][2][3]

Biography

Lau was born in Hong Kong, and at age 19, he immigrated to Canada where he attended St. Robert Catholic High School and the University of Toronto.[4] There, he earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1991, followed by a master's in electrical engineering in 1992.[5][6] In 2006, he founded Wattpad, an online platform that allows writers to share their writing with the online Wattpad community.[7][8] Lau is a prominent member of the Canadian entrepreneurship community; in 2014, he and his wife founded Two Fish Ventures, a venture firm that invests in internet-based startups in the Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo regions.[9] In 2021, Wattpad announced that it was being acquired by South Korean conglomerate, Naver, for US$600 million; Wattpad is planning on continuing to run independently with Lau maintaining his leadership position.[10][11][12]

References
  1. "Wattpad's Allen Lau, a pioneer of Canada's tech renaissance, steps aside as CEO a year after sale to South Korean giant". May 9, 2022 – via www.theglobeandmail.com.
  2. Bickis, Ian (December 9, 2019). "Storytelling platform Wattpad to open office in Halifax". Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  3. "The Leader: Allen Lau, Wattpad". thestar.com. 2015-08-16. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  4. Agrba, Liza (December 13, 2022). "How Wattpad Co-founder Allen Lau Built a $750-Million Business".
  5. "'A match made in heaven': Allen Lau on Naver's US$600-million acquisition of Wattpad". University of Toronto News. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  6. "The content 'factory': How U of T alumnus Allen Lau is disrupting the way books, movies and TV shows are made". U of T Engineering News. 2019-03-21. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  7. "The Wattpad Cult: why Toronto's buzziest tech start-up is a self-publishing app beloved by teen girls". Toronto Life. 2014-11-10. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  8. "The six hottest players in Toronto's digital industry". Toronto Life. 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  9. "Two Small Fish Ventures closes $9 million for second fund | BetaKit". 2019-05-30. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  10. "Wattpad, the storytelling platform, is selling to South Korea's Naver for $600 million". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  11. "Following Wattpad acquisition, CEO Allen Lau says "I'm not done yet" | BetaKit". 2021-01-20. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  12. "Wattpad to be sold to South Korean internet giant for $600M US". January 19, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.


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