EP#19: Allen Lau - Founding Wattpad | Overcoming Failure | Building Stronger Reading Habits

Episode #19 of Impact in the 21st Century features incredible guest Allen Lau. After migrating to Canada aged 19 and graduating with a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering at University of Toronto, Allen went on to co-found Wattpad, an online reading community where members can read and write original stories. With 90 million monthly users, Wattpad aims to dissolve the barriers between readers and writers, and build meaningful, engaged communities brought together by the power of stories. In this episode, hear the impactful, mission-driven story behind Wattpad’s founding, how Allen persevered in the face of failure, his advice on how you can build strong reading habits, and his insights into what the future of reading and technology holds. Sign up to Wattpad for free and start writing or reading: https://www.wattpad.com/ Read the National Assessment of Educational Progress report on US declining reading levels in the aftermath of the pandemic: https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/highlights/reading/2022/ This episode is sponsored by RBC. ___ What is Impact in the 21st Century? Impact in the 21st Century is a podcast created by Simbi Foundation, a non-profit organization working to support the next 3.5 million refugee learners with solar-powered classrooms called BrightBoxes. This podcast celebrates the impactful work being done around the globe, and shares the stories of the inspiring individuals who are behind it. Who hosts Impact in the 21st Century? Aaron Friedland is a National Geographic Explorer, PhD Candidate in Econometrics at UBC, Executive Director of Simbi Foundation, and innovator of the BrightBox solution and the unique reading platform Simbi. Stream Impact in the 21st Century on your favourite streaming platform: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/impact-in-the-21st-century/id1529033008 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7F6IBSN7Ysz6wl622eK5lN Google podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL3NpbWJpZm91bmRhdGlvbi9mZWVkLnhtbA?sa=X&ved=0CAIQ4aUDahcKEwiAoLbL3-HrAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ Learn more about our podcast at www.simbifoundation.org/podcast