Puzzazz
Puzzazz is a Redmond, Washington-based digital puzzle platform serving puzzle enthusiasts with interactive puzzle ebooks on iOS and Kindle. It monetizes individual one-time ebook purchases and free daily web puzzles, anchored by its proprietary TouchWrite handwriting recognition technology and licensed content from world-class constructors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersRedmond, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Puzzazz does
Puzzazz is a Redmond, Washington-based digital puzzle platform company founded in 2008 by puzzle constructor and software architect Roy Leban, operated through Almanaq LLC. The company builds and distributes interactive puzzle ebooks targeting puzzle enthusiasts who want to solve crosswords, cryptic crosswords, KenKen, sudoku, and other word and logic puzzles on touchscreen devices. Distribution is concentrated on the Apple App Store (iOS) and Amazon Kindle store, with a free daily puzzle on the Puzzazz website acting as a top-of-funnel acquisition channel.
The company's core technology is TouchWrite, an award-winning handwriting recognition system that lets users write puzzle answers directly on the screen with a finger, avoiding the limitations of on-screen keyboards for letter and number entry. TouchWrite was the first handwriting recognition technology deployed on any ebook reader, debuting on Kindle Touch in February 2012 with Sudoku Unbound Volume 3, and was recognized as GeekWire's Innovation of the Year in 2013. The product surface includes the Puzzazz iOS app, KenKen book collections across Easy, Medium, and Challenge tiers (over 1,500 puzzles cumulatively), the Year of Puzzles anthology, an interactive puzzle novel (The Maze of Games by Mike Selinker), The Nation's Out of Left Field cryptic series, and a crossword library with NYT compatibility.
Puzzazz operates a freemium, product-led, direct-to-consumer business model. Free daily web puzzles and selected free ebooks (Staycation Cryptics, American Red Crosswords) drive discovery, while individual puzzle ebooks are sold as one-time purchases through the App Store and Kindle Store with per-book pricing. The company is privately held, has raised a single $400,000 angel round in 2011, and operates with a small team led by Founder/CTO Roy Leban and Chief Architect Chip Brown. Revenue is not disclosed and appears to be modest given the niche consumer base and the absence of follow-on institutional funding.
Puzzazz firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Puzzazz
- Legal name
- Almanaq LLC
- Website
- https://puzzazz.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Puzzazz is a Redmond, Washington-based digital puzzle platform serving puzzle enthusiasts with interactive puzzle ebooks on iOS and Kindle. It monetizes individual one-time ebook purchases and free daily web puzzles, anchored by its proprietary TouchWrite handwriting recognition technology and licensed content from world-class constructors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Puzzazz industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mobile Puzzle Apps
- NAICS
- Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120), Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Puzzle Books & Brain Teasers Retail (CRALALAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Topic/Interest-Based Content Discovery Apps (MPACAKAB)
Keywords
Where Puzzazz is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Redmond
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Puzzazz business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Digital Puzzle Ebook Sales: Individual puzzle ebooks sold through the Puzzazz app and web store. Users can browse, try free puzzles, and purchase full books. Pricing varies per book.
- Free Daily Puzzles: Free daily puzzle available on the web platform to attract and engage users, driving discovery and conversion to paid ebook purchases.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free puzzle ebooks |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Individual puzzle ebook purchases |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Puzzazz product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Puzzazz sells interactive puzzle ebooks through its iOS app, Kindle store, and web platform, augmented by proprietary TouchWrite handwriting recognition that lets users write answers directly on touchscreen devices. The company offers free daily web puzzles and a browsable bookstore of premium puzzle collections from world-class constructors and licensors. The core experience combines purpose-built puzzle-solving software with curated puzzle content.
Product overview
Puzzazz operates a digital puzzle bookstore and solving platform offering interactive puzzle ebooks through its iOS app and for Amazon Kindle devices. The core offering combines the Puzzazz app with its exclusive TouchWrite handwriting recognition technology, allowing users to solve puzzles by writing directly on screens. The product portfolio includes the main iOS app, the TouchWrite technology, daily web puzzles, and various puzzle ebook collections including KenKen books, cryptic crossword series (Out of Left Field, Cryptic All-Stars), diagramless crosswords (Out of the Shadows), themed collections (Year of Puzzles, Maze of Games, Staycation Cryptics), and special event puzzles (Puzzles Live!). The platform supports both free daily puzzles and purchasable premium puzzle ebooks.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- TouchWrite: Award-winning natural handwriting recognition technology for puzzles that allows solvers to write answers directly on screens. Winner of GeekWire's Innovation of the Year award for 2013.
Products and services
- Puzzazz iOS App Native mobile application for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch that delivers interactive puzzle ebooks with TouchWrite handwriting recognition, daily puzzles, and access to the puzzle bookstore. Targeted at puzzle enthusiasts who want a purpose-built solving experience on Apple devices.
- KenKen Puzzle Books Interactive KenKen logic puzzle ebooks published under license from KenKen Puzzle LLC, available in Easy, Medium, and Challenge difficulty levels with over 1500 puzzles and built-in hinting and error correction. For fans of logic puzzles who want a touchscreen solving experience.
- Year of Puzzles A collection of 22 unique puzzles sold as interactive ebooks in the Puzzazz app or as downloadable PDF files. Targeted at puzzle enthusiasts seeking variety puzzle content.
- The Maze of Games An interactive puzzle novel by Mike Selinker, available exclusively in the Puzzazz app for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. Targeted at adventure puzzle book fans.
- Cryptic All-Stars A collection of 45 variety cryptic crossword puzzles from world-class constructors, sold as an interactive ebook. For cryptic crossword enthusiasts.
- Puzzability's Variety Show A variety puzzle collection sold through the Puzzazz bookstore, featuring puzzles from Puzzability. For fans of variety puzzle formats.
- American Red Crosswords A free collection of 24 never-before-published crossword puzzles donated by top constructors to raise money for Hurricane Sandy survivors. For crossword fans wanting to support disaster relief.
- Out of Left Field Series Five volumes of cryptic crossword puzzles by Joshua Kosman and Henri Picciotto originally published in The Nation magazine, each containing 20 puzzles. For cryptic crossword enthusiasts.
- Staycation Cryptics A free book of 7 Cryptic Crossword puzzles by Bob Stigger, offered as a free interactive ebook or printable PDF. For casual cryptic crossword solvers.
- Out of the Shadows A collection of 25 diagramless crossword puzzles by Carol Lachance, available as an interactive ebook or downloadable sample PDF. For diagramless crossword enthusiasts.
- Sudoku Unbound Volume 3 (Kindle Touch) The first Kindle ebook to use TouchWrite handwriting recognition, focused on Sudoku number input on Kindle Touch devices. For Kindle-using Sudoku fans.
Quantifiable outcome
- First company to bring handwriting recognition to Kindle Touch
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Puzzazz
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Puzzazz technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability2 records
Feature3 records
Puzzazz partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- AmazoncorePuzzazz developed TouchWrite handwriting recognition for Kindle Touch, the first such technology on any ebook reader. This partnership enabled puzzle solving on Kindle devices by allowing users to write answers directly on screen.
- ApplecorePuzzazz app distributed through Apple App Store for iOS devices (iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch). Primary distribution channel for puzzle ebooks with full TouchWrite functionality.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Puzzazz competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- The New York Times (NYT Games / Crossword): NYT Games is the dominant digital crossword subscription product with over 100,000 Premium Crossword subscribers and a strong free mobile app. It is comparable to Puzzazz as a destination for digital crossword and puzzle solving, but operates at vastly larger scale and as part of a much broader subscription bundle.
Direct peers
- Puzzle Baron: Puzzle Baron operates one of the largest free online puzzle platforms (crosswords, word searches, logic puzzles) and sells puzzle books. It directly competes with Puzzazz for puzzle enthusiast attention across web and book channels, though it lacks Puzzazz's handwriting-input interactive format.
- Puzzle Society (Dell Magazines): Puzzle Society publishes a portfolio of puzzle magazines (Dell crossword and logic titles) and digital puzzle content. It is a direct peer in puzzle book and periodical publishing for the same enthusiast segment that Puzzazz serves.
- Conceptis Puzzles: Conceptis is a leading publisher of logic puzzles (Sudoku, Kakuro, Pic-a-Pix, Hashi) distributed across web, mobile, and print. It overlaps with Puzzazz in digital logic puzzle publishing and competes for the same logic-puzzle solver audience.
- Penny Publications / Penny Press: Penny Press is a long-standing publisher of crossword, sudoku, and variety puzzle books for the consumer market. It competes with Puzzazz in the puzzle book category, primarily in print where Puzzazz's interactive ebooks offer a differentiated digital substitute.
- BrainBashers: BrainBashers is a long-running free online puzzle site offering daily puzzles across logic and word categories. It competes directly with Puzzazz for daily web puzzle attention, although it is free/ad-supported rather than transaction-based.
Emerging players
- AppyNation: AppyNation develops and operates a portfolio of puzzle and word game mobile apps distributed through the App Store. It is comparable as a fellow app-store puzzle publisher targeting the same consumer with free-to-play mechanics, though at lower content premium than Puzzazz.
- Magmic: Magmic develops casual mobile games and puzzle apps (crosswords, word games) distributed across iOS and Android. It is comparable as a fellow mobile puzzle publisher, although its portfolio is broader and less content-premium than Puzzazz's curated author-led catalog.
Regional players
- Lovatts Media: Lovatts is an established Australian puzzle and magazine publisher with growing digital distribution. It is a comparable puzzle publisher serving the same consumer use cases as Puzzazz, but primarily in the Australia/New Zealand market.
- Keesing Media: Keesing is a European puzzle and quiz magazine publisher with strong crossword and sudoku titles. It is comparable as a digital and print puzzle publisher serving enthusiast consumers, but is primarily focused on European markets.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Puzzazz social profiles
Digital presencePuzzazz financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Puzzazz leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Puzzazz funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Puzzazz M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Puzzazz
What does Puzzazz do?
Puzzazz sells interactive puzzle ebooks through its iOS app, Kindle store, and web platform, augmented by proprietary TouchWrite handwriting recognition that lets users write answers directly on touchscreen devices. The company offers free daily web puzzles and a browsable bookstore of premium puzzle collections from world-class constructors and licensors. The core experience combines purpose-built puzzle-solving software with curated puzzle content.
Is Puzzazz a public or private company?
Puzzazz is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Puzzazz founded?
Puzzazz was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Puzzazz based?
Puzzazz is headquartered in Redmond, United States, in the North America region.
How does Puzzazz make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Digital Puzzle Ebook Sales are the primary driver. The others are free Daily Puzzles.
Who are Puzzazz's main competitors?
The New York Times (NYT Games / Crossword) is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Puzzle Baron, Puzzle Society (Dell Magazines), Conceptis Puzzles, Penny Publications / Penny Press and BrainBashers. Emerging players are AppyNation and Magmic. Regional players are Lovatts Media and Keesing Media.
Does Puzzazz have an API?
No public API is recorded for Puzzazz.
What industry is Puzzazz in?
Puzzazz's product category is Mobile Puzzle Apps. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALALAL, Puzzle Books & Brain Teasers Retail, with a secondary code of MPACAKAB, Topic/Interest-Based Content Discovery Apps. Its NAICS code is 459120 and its SIC code is 2721.