HOME
MEMBERSHIPS
BOOK A SPACE
COMMUNITY
about betahaus
our innovation agencyREAL ESTATE CONSULTINGLOG IN
Christoph Fahle
February 25, 2013

Blinkist

The interview was made with Sebastian Rumberg, the Head of Communications of Blinkist.

How's the business going after one year of work?

Blinkist started in August 2012. In the beginning it was all about getting the first prototype done. We are especially happy with the way Blinkist developed over the last few weeks after the launch in January. Right now we are analysing the feedback we are getting from our users and plan the next steps.

The team has grown considerably over the last few months – including full-time and freelance writers, developers, a designer and PR and marketing manager we consist of nine full-time people. On top of that we are working with several freelance developers and writers.

Before the launching everybody's asking about the copyright issue. Was there any?

Our summaries are stand-alone works written by our authors. That’s why there are no legal issues. In fact, publishers are still looking for new distribution channels and we think that blinkist can be a great way to get books into the hands of people with little time. We are interested in building cooperations with large publishers and independent authors. That‘s why we started talking to big publishing houses and are working on new partnerships.

You are part of the hub:raum incubation program. What has the program given you so far?

Thanks to hub:raum we have access to great mentors that helped us a lot over the last months. We enjoy a lot of freedom in our decision making but get a lot of support at the same time, when we really need it. hub:raum supports us with a lot of shared services that we can use at a preferred rate.

What are the main difficulties you're facing right now?

Right now we are collecting a lot of user feedback and prepare the next steps. I think that it is always the biggest challenge for a startup to focus on the things that matter the most and not get lost along the way – while working with very few resources.

Future plans of Blinkist?

Our highest priority is the optimization of our core concept and analysing the feedback. All next steps will be based on the results of the upcoming weeks.

What do you find attractive about working from a coworking? Why you remained here after the hub:raum finished?

Hub:raum rented the first floor for their program, so this is how we got here. I think the biggest benefit is definitely the community that evolves around a coworking space. Feedback and new ideas are just around the corner with so many people from all over the world hanging out in the café – what else can you ask for as a startup?

Want to become a member at betahaus l Berlin? More information here!