European startups aiming to improve your e-reading experience
According to a forecast released by Forrester last year, which looks at factors driving e-book adoption across more than 50 countries, Europe will be the largest e-book market in the world by 2017 with estimated revenues of $19 billion.
Though there may be a big market, it’s not an easy space to crack, especially with contenders such as Amazon’s Kindle, Kobo and Barnes & Noble’s Nook in the game.
The Tech.EU compiled a list of 10 European startups determined to help make your e-reading experience better:
LeKiosk /Paris, France/
Often dubbed the “Spotify for Press”, LeKiosk provides users with a monthly subscription service for magazines. The platform – currently available in France, the UK and Italy – has a catalogue of more than 1000 magazines. Founded in 2007, the startup has raised about $10.9 million in funding.
txtr /Berlin, Germany/
Founded in 2008, txtr is an independent e-reading platform, which offers an eBook store, e-reading app and digital reading services for clients. It is privately funded and backed by American multinational 3M. In 2012, the company also rolled out its own e-reading device called the txtr Beagle.
Bookmate /Moscow, Russia/
Launched by Russian tech startup studio Dream Industries – which is also behind Zvooq – Bookmate is a subscription-based social eReading service for mobile devices with over 1.5 million active users. In May, Bookmate announced a $3 million investment from Russian e-commerce giant Ulmart.
24Symbols /Madrid, Spain/
Here’s another Spotify comparison: 24symbols – often billed as a “Spotify for e-books” – lets users read from a catalog of about 100,000 titles on the cloud through a freemium-based subscription-based model. In May 2013, Spanish digital entertainment company Zed bought a 32% stake in 24symbols.
Fastr Books /Riga, Latvia / Helsinki, Finland/
First created at the Garage48 hackathon, Fastr Books has since pivoted from speed reading app to e-book reader for iPhone and iPad. The app, launched in January 2014, features a collection of more than 5,000 free e-books as well as a ‘RSVP’ speed-reading mode.
To see the complete list follow this link to the full article on Tech.EU