Allen Lau Email Address

Co-founder and Venture Partner

Wattpad is a community for readers and writers where one can discover user-generated stories, spanning across different genres including classics, general fiction, historical fiction etc.

Allen Lau is a visionary serial entrepreneur, a leader in Canada’s tech community, and a sought-after speaker and authoritative voice on entrepreneurship, the innovation economy, and the benefits of a diverse workforce. Today, as Executive Advisor to Naver’s WEBTOON and Wattpad, Allen’s strategic counsel and world-renowned expertise is shaping the future of webnovels and new fiction formats. Wattpad raised USD $120 million from top VCs in Silicon Valley, New York, Canada, and Asia. In 2021, the company was acquired by Naver in a transaction valued at more than USD $600 million. Because of Allen’s leadership and vision in his previous role as CEO and co-founder, today Wattpad is home to a community of 94 million people who have written more than a billion uploads on the platform. Thousands of Wattpad stories have been adapted for other platforms and gone on to become blockbuster movies and #1 Netflix hits, emmy-nominated television series, and bestselling books around the world. Allen is a board member of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), a cultural organization with a mission to transform the way people see the world through film. Allen also sits on the board of directors for MaRS Discovery District, North America’s largest urban innovation hub. As a board member, Allen joins MaRS in supporting high-growth startups and scale-ups to drive breakthrough discoveries, grow the economy, and make an impact by solving real problems for real people. Allen champions the interest of Canadian technology companies at all levels of government as a member of Canadian Council of Innovators. He consults on legislation and practices to spur innovation and support the growth of the technology sector. Allen is regularly quoted by the media about the benefits of launching and scaling an internet-based company in Canada. Allen has a keen ability for spotting the next big thing. He is the co-founder of Two Small Fish Ventures, a fund that invests in early stage internet companies with strong network effects. Two Small Fish Ventures’ portfolio includes Skip the Dishes (acquired by Just Eat for $200 million), and Ada, an AI startup valued at over US$1.2 billion. Allen has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Canada’s prestigious Report on Business Magazine, among other publications. Under his leadership, Wattpad has twice been named to Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies. In 2020, Allen was inducted into the Engineering Alumni Hall of Distinction of the University of Toronto.