How Cofounder Allen Lau Grew Wattpad to 90 Million Monthly Active Users (fnGlobal Keynote & Roundtables)

Wattpad, a storytelling app for writers and readers, has over 90 million monthly active users worldwide. To add a cherry on top, South Korea’s Naver is in the process of acquiring them for $600M. Their success didn’t happen overnight. Their accomplishments stemmed from a team vision of globalization, diversity, and multiculturalism. And of course, they have a team of hard-working and intelligent people.

In 2006, immigrants Allen Lau and Ivan Yuen founded Wattpad in Toronto, Canada. Over fourteen years later, the company has more than 200 employees worldwide – 50% are female, and 40% include people of color. Wattpad’s culture has multiculturalism embedded into its DNA.

We spoke with co-founder Allen Lau about what contributed to Wattpad’s overall success. Lucky for you, Allen will join us for a fireside chat to share:

• How to have a global mindset when founding a startup
• How they structured their team early on to reflect the market they wanted to capture
• The journey of building an app with almost 100 million users
• Things to consider when meeting with a startup mentor
• Plus anything you’d like to ask

Opening Remarks & Chapter Launch @ 9:30am PT

Join us for opening remarks with Kevin Holmes, Founder & CEO @ Founders Network, to get the latest updates from the Network and opportunities for getting involved.

Keynote Speaker @ 9:40am PT

Allen Lau

Allen Lau is the CEO and co-founder of Wattpad, the global multiplatform entertainment company, where he leads the company’s vision to entertain and connect the world through stories.

A leader in Canada’s technology sector and startup ecosystem, Allen is a member of the Canadian Council of Innovators, a lobby group that advances the interests of Canadian technology companies at all levels of government. He is also the co-founder of Two Small Fish Ventures, a fund that invests in Toronto and Waterloo-based early stage internet companies with strong network effects.

Prior to Wattpad, Allen co-founded FeedM8, a mobile advertising company that was later acquired. He also previously co-founded Tira Wireless, where he helped leading brands optimize content for mobile delivery.

Allen received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Toronto’s Electrical Engineering program.

Stage-Based Roundtables @ 10:30 am PT

Following our Global Keynote, please join your stage-based roundtable facilitated by keynote speaker and executive coach, Nathan Parcells (Sep'11 Cohort), for a 45-minute discussion group covering the following:

• A deeper dive into this month's keynote topic(s).
• A facilitated group conversation on key challenges you are facing and to get support and feedback from your other startup founders.
• 1-1 breakouts to connect you with other FN members and have confidential conversations on topics you want to explore ranging from mental health to team issues.

Nathan is a former startup founder and current executive coach. He works with the founders of a wide range of businesses; from startups (backed by Andreessen Horowitz, LearnCapital, YC, and more) to consulting firms to the CEO/COO of a national chain of donut shops. Nathan's specialty is in team-communication, conflict resolution, and process changes that create stronger culture. Nathan also has training and expertise in DE&I work.

Nathan most recently gave a presentation on techniques for better and more resilient co-founder communication that you can scale to your whole company.

Guests Are Welcome!

Please bring a guest! Every member can bring one (1) guest to each event. Each guest must be a full-time tech startup founder so they can bring new perspectives, skillsets, and experience to your chapter.

All guests must be full-time tech startup founders and you can register them directly on this function page. See How to Register a Guest here.

Confidentiality Reminder

All information shared within Founders Network is strictly confidential. We are built on a foundation of trust, and the community takes confidentiality seriously. Investors, members, and staff all share experiences and opinions off the record. In this roundtable forum, we continue to model our fnValues of Reciprocity, Humility, Authenticity and Inclusivity.