We’re the global multi-platform entertainment company for stories, proudly based in Canada’s startup capital, Toronto. Through products like Wattpad and Tap by Wattpad and emerging innovations from Wattpad Labs, we’re using groundbreaking technology to set stories free into a world of unbridled possibility.
2007
After five years of big ideas and false-starts, Wattpad is born! Allen Lau’s dream of making reading accessible on mobile becomes a reality thanks to a partnership with his longtime friend and colleague, Ivan Yuen. Wattpad launches with public domain books like Pride and Prejudice to draw in readers. Fun fact: Wattpad managed to snag a whopping $2 from Google AdSense that year. You have to start somewhere, right?
2011
With the launch of the App Store in 2008, Wattpad is now available on iPhone, Android, and on the Blackberry. In 2010, the Wattpad team doubles in size (to six full-time employees and four co-op students). By 2011, Wattpad has attracted 1 million registered users and over $4.1 million in funding. Beth Reekles begins writing The Kissing Booth on Wattpad, which becomes a Netflix Original film in 2018.
2014
Things grow. Quickly. In 2012, Wattpad raises $17.3 million USD in its series B funding round. Two years later, the team moves into their new St. Lawrence Market office. Wattpad is named the Top Canadian Startup and Employer of the Year by Techvibes and Allen and Ivan are awarded Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year. All the while, user growth is exploding—Wattpad surpasses 1 billion minutes on platform per month. After becomes a viral hit, earning the title of being the most-read book on Wattpad. It’s published by Gallery Books and becomes a New York Times bestseller.
2017
Wattpad continues to change the world of social storytelling. The platform marks its 400 millionth upload. With a goal of becoming the future of entertainment, Wattpad has now launched Wattpad Brand Partnerships, Wattpad Studios, and the Wattpad Stars program. Wattpad debuts Tap by Wattpad, showcasing the company’s commitment to innovation with a new way to enjoy interactive stories. Wattpad is awarded Fast Company’s Top Ten Most Innovative Companies in Social Media, CIX Innovator of the Year, and Startup Canada’s Entrepreneur of the Year.
Today
Wattpad grows into the world’s most-loved social storytelling platform, where new voices write and share and readers connect with the stories they love. What was once a handful of readers is now a vibrant community of millions who spend a collective 22 billion minutes on Wattpad every month. In the meantime, Wattpad Studios continues to partner with the entertainment industry to co-produce Wattpad stories for print, film, television, and digital platforms.
2007
2011
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Today
monthly audience use the Wattpad platform
average session time spent on Wattpad platform
minutes spent on the Wattpad platform every month
of our users are either Generation Z or Millennial
interactive stories available on Tap by Wattpad
Stories. They’re not static. They’re living. Breathing. They change and they can change you. At Wattpad, we’ve seen the power a single story can have. In fact, when you work here, you see that happen every day.
The entertainment world is in an unprecedented period of disruption. The walls that kept storytelling in film, TV and publishing something reserved for an elite few? They’re crumbling. People from around the world are picking up their phones and laptops, and creating their own narratives. And tens of millions of them are doing it on Wattpad.
When you work at Wattpad, you’re powering the largest social storytelling platform in nearly every market under the sun. From Latin America to Southeast Asia to Europe and our home in North America, diverse voices are connecting with a community of over 70 million readers and writers in over 50 languages.
And as for the big bright future of entertainment? It’s already happening on Wattpad. Every day, we connect Hollywood with proven ideas that have built-in audiences. By empowering diverse voices, we’ve opened up a whole world of stories just waiting to be turned into movies, TV shows, and audiobooks.
We value innovative thinkers. Creative problem-solvers. People who dive head-first into unknown territory.
Our work extends beyond our hallmark platform, Wattpad, and into emerging technologies. Like Tap by Wattpad, our addictive new app that immerses you into narratives based on chats, video calls, phone calls, and more.
Wattpad Studios has radically transformed the way entertainment and publishing industries source and produce content.
At Wattpad Labs, we’re taking on the future of storytelling technology, innovating for Wattpad and testing new ideas for our global community.
We offer access to training, mentorship, skills bootcamps, and other relevant courses through our WattLEAD program. We build ongoing feedback into our culture through 360° assessments and semi-annual performance reviews.
Maybe you’ve seen us at events like NewCo, StartUp Open House, and Google North. Our team members frequently present at events such as DesignX, UX Research Toronto, and TorCHI—come say hi!
Wattpad has raised more than USD $117 million from international investors in Asia, the US, and Canada. Our world-class investors share our vision to entertain and connect the world through stories.
Find out more about Wattpad