Ladbible’s stratospheric growth has become the stuff of social media lore over the last decade. Set up by Alexander ‘Solly’ Solomou and Arian Kalantari (who left the business last year) in 2012 while they were still students, the friends started out posting funny videos to a few thousand followers on Facebook. Since then, Ladbible Group has evolved into the world’s largest social publisher, with an eclectic mix of brands spanning everything from gaming to sport, and a global audience that’s rapidly approaching one billion.

While the business initially drew criticism for its connotations with the more problematic elements of lad culture (Everyday Sexism’s Laura Bates described sites like Ladbible and Unilad as “misogyny sickeningly disguised as banter” during its early days), the team behind it – headed up by Solomou as CEO – have gradually shifted perceptions of the word ‘lad’ to reflect contemporary culture, as well as putting social issues such as climate change and mental health as high on the agenda as humour.

Fast-forward to today, and Ladbible Group’s stats speak for themselves: its brands reach nearly two-thirds of 18 to 34-year-olds in the UK and its audience is a neat 50/50 split between men and women. “We’re still the biggest youth publisher in the entire world and I think that’s our secret sauce for how we work with clients and brand partners … as well as going deep into Gen Z culture and now really flexing our Gen Alpha skills,” says LA Ronayne, who joined as executive creative director in 2023.