9GAG-just for fun

Ege Özcan11/C No.249

• 9GAG is an image-based social media website which is based around user-uploaded, comical images dubbed "Fun" and "le memes".

• The site had 2 billion monthly pageviews as of Dec 2011, according to co-founder Ray Chan, although this statement is undocumented.

• 9GAG started raising its round of funding at the beginning of 2012. Ray says, “We believe that if we want to build a great company, we need the experience and connections from the best people.” According to True Ventures’ welcome post, 9GAG currently sees over 70 million unique visitors monthly.

Ray Chan never expected 9GAG to take

off like it did.

• Ray, who is a native of Hong Kong, looks back at his university days and regards it with fondness. It was a very “fruitful” experience, he says.

• The 28 year-old attended the prestigious University of Hong Kong, where he was a member of the university’s debate team and lacrosse team. He lived on campus, staying in Ricci Hall, a boys-only dormitory where he says he met a lot of “brothers”.

• “I just didn’t spend enough time on my legal studies,” he admits.

• He is rather coy about the story behind the name though. When asked why ‘9GAG’, he cheekily quotes the famous line from Top Gun – “I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you”.