# Ali Albazaz

> Ali Albazaz is the founder and CEO of Inkitt, a San Francisco-based AI-powered publishing platform that uses reader engagement data and algorithms to identify and publish bestselling fiction. Born in Baghdad and raised in Germany, he bootstrapped Inkitt from a Berlin startup after 140 investor rejections into a $400M+ valued company with 33 million users across three platforms: Inkitt (writer community), Galatea (immersive reading app), and CandyJar (video entertainment). Inkitt has raised $116.8M in total funding, including a $37M Series C led by Khosla Ventures in February 2024.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Inkitt
- **Organizations:** Inkitt, Galatea, CandyJar
- **From:** Baghdad, Iraq
- **Nationality:** German
- **Education:** Computer Science, University of Bonn
- **Known for:** Raised $116.8M total funding across seed, Series A, B, and C rounds, Built Inkitt to 33 million active users and ~300,000 writers on platform, Inkitt publishes bestsellers at 40x the success rate of traditional publishers

## Career timeline

- **1989** — Born in Baghdad, Iraq
- **~1999** — Family relocates to Germany
- **2002** — At age 13, begins buying and reselling refurbished phones on eBay for 20-30% profit
- **~2007** — Enrolls in Computer Science at University of Bonn
- **~2011-2012** — Attempts first two startups, both fail
- **2013** — Founds Inkitt in Berlin as a data-driven, reader-powered publisher
- **2013-2015** — Receives 140 investor rejections before securing initial €25,000 seed funding
- **2016** — Raises $3.9M seed round
- **~2018** — Launches Galatea immersive reading app
- **2019** — Featured in Entrepreneur Magazine
- **2021** — Raises $59M Series B led by Scott Sandell / NEA; company relocates headquarters to San Francisco
- **2023** — 133 Galatea authors reach bestseller status; Inkitt reaches 33M active users
- **2024-02** — Raises $37M Series C led by Khosla Ventures (Vinod Khosla); post-money valuation ~$400M
- **2024** — Galatea user base grows 40%; heavy AI integration announced for content creation
- **2025-04** — Bloomberg Businessweek publishes major feature 'The A.I. Romance Factory' on Inkitt's model
- **2025-06** — GalateaTV rebrands to CandyJar; red carpet premiere for first feature film 'Keily: Homecoming Dweeb'; platform reaches 3M minutes watched daily

## Achievements

- Raised $116.8M total funding across seed, Series A, B, and C rounds
- Built Inkitt to 33 million active users and ~300,000 writers on platform
- Inkitt publishes bestsellers at 40x the success rate of traditional publishers
- Ranked Inkitt as No. 11 bestselling publisher globally, above Penguin Random House
- Galatea app generates $1M in ebook revenue every 4 weeks
- 133 Galatea authors reached bestseller status in 2023
- 50%+ of Galatea novels have generated $100,000+ in sales
- Grew Galatea user base 40% in 2024; 60M+ chapters consumed monthly
- Launched CandyJar (formerly GalateaTV) reaching 3M minutes watched per day
- Secured Series C led by Vinod Khosla at ~$400M post-money valuation
- Nominated for Webby Award in Best Streaming or Media Service
- Recognized by Financial Times as one of Europe's fastest-growing digital enterprises

## Latest updates

- **2025-06** — GalateaTV rebrands to CandyJar; red carpet premiere of first feature film 'Keily: Homecoming Dweeb'; platform hits 3M minutes watched daily with 98% female audience
- **2025-04** — Bloomberg Businessweek publishes major feature 'The A.I. Romance Factory' examining Inkitt's AI-driven model
- **2025-02** — Inkitt announces expanded opportunities for romance writers; continued platform growth
- **2024-02** — Secures $37M Series C from Khosla Ventures, NEA, Kleiner Perkins at ~$400M valuation
- **2024-01** — Galatea user base grows 40% year-over-year; heavy AI integration for content creation and personalization

## Links

- Website: https://inkitt.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alialbazaz
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/ali_albazaz
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inkitt

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ali-albazaz
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-27