Allen Lau

Recovering CEO, 3x Entrepreneur, 2x exits (last one at US$660M), Venture Capitalist by Profession, Electrical Engineer by Training, Rocket Scientist at Heart

Allen Lau is the co-founder and Operating Partner at Two Small Fish Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm that focuses on the next frontier in computing and its applications. The firm is renowned for backing founders and their promising startups that later became world-class companies, such as SkipTheDishes, BenchSci, Sheertex, Printify, and Ideogram, among many others. Allen is also the co-founder and former CEO of Wattpad, the world’s leading social storytelling platform. Allen directed a global team to leverage AI and data to disrupt the entertainment industry. Under his leadership, Wattpad grew into a community of nearly 100 million users, raised US$120 million from top VCs around the world, and realized a successful exit in a transaction valued at more than US$660 million -- one of the largest tech acquisitions in Canada. Allen 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. Twice named one of the Top 50 Most Influential People by Toronto Life, Allen has also been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Canada's prestigious Report on Business Magazine, among other publications. He also sits on the board of MaRS Discovery District, North America’s largest urban innovation hub. Allen received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Toronto’s Electrical Engineering program. In 2020, he was inducted into the Engineering Alumni Hall of Distinction at the University of Toronto. Allen Lau is the co-founder and Operating Partner at Two Small Fish Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm that focuses on the next frontier in computing and its applications. The firm is renowned for backing founders and their promising startups that later became world-class companies, such as SkipTheDishes, BenchSci, Sheertex, Printify, and Ideogram, among many others. Allen is also the co-founder and former CEO of Wattpad, the world’s leading social storytelling platform. Allen directed a global team to leverage AI and data to disrupt the entertainment industry. Under his leadership, Wattpad grew into a community of nearly 100 million users, raised US$120 million from top VCs around the world, and realized a successful exit in a transaction valued at more than US$660 million -- one of the largest tech acquisitions in Canada. Allen 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. Twice named one of the Top 50 Most Influential People by Toronto Life, Allen has also been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Canada's prestigious Report on Business Magazine, among other publications. He also sits on the board of MaRS Discovery District, North America’s largest urban innovation hub. Allen received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Toronto’s Electrical Engineering program. In 2020, he was inducted into the Engineering Alumni Hall of Distinction at the University of Toronto.