Substack, the newsletter platform co-founded by University of Waterloo and Kik alumni, has added Mark Swierszcz as its first head of partnerships in Canada following “meaningful” organic growth in the country.
“Canada has emerged as one of Substack’s strongest markets outside the US and UK.”
Swierszcz, based in Toronto, joins Substack after six years as Google Canada’s creative effectiveness lead, where he helped “elevate the creative impact” of Canadian advertising across Google and YouTube, a Substack spokesperson told BetaKit on Thursday. Before that, Swierszcz led YouTube’s creator strategy in Canada and ran digital operations at MTV and MuchMusic.
In his new job, Swierszcz will lead Substack’s expansion and partner strategy across Canada. The Substack spokesperson said that Canada is the platform’s third-largest market globally, and the first of several to get local leadership this year. The company claims that there are more than half a million paid subscriptions to thousands of Canada-based publications on its platform.
“Canada has emerged as one of Substack’s strongest markets outside the US and UK, driven by organic growth from creators and audiences,” Substack head of international Farrah Storr said in a statement. “Hiring Mark Swierszcz … allows us to meet that demand locally as we invest more deeply in markets around the world.”
RELATED: Canadian co-founded Substack raises $100-million USD Series C to grow tools for independent creators
The San Francisco-based company was founded in 2017 by Canadian University of Waterloo alumni Chris Best and Jairaj Sethi, alongside New Zealand journalist Hamish McKenzie, who went to Western University. Best and Sethi were also senior leaders at Canadian messaging app Kik.
Substack allows creators to independently publish content and manage subscribers in exchange for 10 percent of subscription revenue plus transaction fees. It has become one of the most popular newsletter subscription services for journalists and independent creators worldwide, with reportedly more than 5 million paid subscribers as of March 2025. Canadian creators like Paul Wells, Jen Gerson, and Rachel Gilmore all publish content on the platform.
The Substack spokesperson said it has been focusing on global expansion following its $100-million USD ($137-million CAD) Series C funding round last year. After Canada, the platform is looking to add partnership leads in Australia and New Zealand, as well as across Europe, including in Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and the Nordic region.
Feature image courtesy Substack.