Ted Livingston
Ted Livingston (born 1987) is a Canadian entrepreneur andthe founder of Kik Messenger, a popular mobile messaging service.
Livingston attended the Crescent Schoolin Toronto from 1997 to 2005, where he found an education that suited his individuality and allowed him to develop his own philosophies and life directions.
In 2005,Livingston enrolled at the University of Waterlooto pursue a bachelor's degree in mechatronics, with the goal of fulfilling his dream of building robots. During his time at the university, he participated in the Waterloo co-op program, gaining valuable work experience at companies like Honda and the City of Toronto government. Eventually, he secured a co-op position asa system engineering project coordinator at Research in Motion(now known as BlackBerry).
While at Research in Motion, Livingston was promoted to the position of "Technical Product Management Coordinator" in December 2007. However, he decided to return to school after turning down a full-time job offer on the advice of his manager. Back at the University of Waterloo, he became part of the Velocity program, a startup-focused community, where he made the pivotal decision to forgo completing his degree in order toestablish his own startup, which became Kik Messenger.
Kik Messenger, under Livingston's leadership, grew to become a major player in the mobile messaging space, competing with giants likeFacebookand WeChat. It boasted an impressive user base of over 275 million registered users, with approximately 40 percent of American teenagers using the platform. The success of the app attracted significant investment, including a $50 million investment from Chinese Internet giantTencent, which valued Kik at $1 billion.
Livingston's entrepreneurial achievements gained him recognition in various circles. Forbes listed him on their "Top 30 under 30" technology list in 2014, acknowledging his influence and impact in the tech industry. Additionally, Torontolife ranked him at number 20 on their "Toronto's 50 Most Influential" list in November 2015.
