Issuu

Last updated

Issuu, Inc.
Company type Private
Industry Electronic publishing
FoundedNovember 8, 2006;17 years ago (2006-11-08)
FoundersMichael Hansen
Ruben Bjerg Hansen
Mikkel Jensen
Martin Ferro-Thomsen
Headquarters Palo Alto, California, US
Owner Bending Spoons
Website issuu.com

Issuu, Inc. (pronounced "issue") [1] is a Danish-founded American electronic publishing platform based in Palo Alto, California, United States. [2] The company's software converts PDFs into customizable digital publications that can be shared via links or embedded into websites.

Contents

Founded in 2006, the company moved its headquarters from Denmark to the United States in 2013. [3]

History

Issuu was founded in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2006 [2] by Michael and Rubyn Bjerg Hansen, Mikkel Jensen, and Martin Ferro-Thomsen. [4]

In 2009, Apple rejected Issuu's app three times, because it was seen as too similar to Apple's planned Newsstand service. [5] [6] In August 2009, the company's website was named one of Time's 50 Best Websites. [7]

By 2011, Issuu software was used by several online publications. [8]

In early 2013, the company opened an office in Palo Alto, California and appointed CEO Joe Hyrkin, formerly of Reverb, Trinity Ventures, and Yahoo!, to helm its Silicon Valley operations. [9] [10] The company soon moved its headquarters to the Palo Alto location. [11] Upon the move, the founders of Issuu stated that they chose the city as they saw social media and digital distribution partnerships as the key to its growth, rather than focusing mostly on publishing relationships. [1] Also in 2013, Issuu acquired the Denmark-based software company Magma, including the company's software that allowed collaboration between editorial teams in organizing, laying out and proofing publications. The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. [12]

In January 2014, Issuu released its Android app. [13] In July 2014, the company released Clip, a tool that allowed readers to take a snapshot of any part of a publication and share that on social media or through email. [14] In October 2014 Issuu released its iOS app to access Issuu on Apple devices. [5] By 2014 the platform hosted more than 18 million publications [15] and had 83 million users. [16]

In 2019, Issuu announced the launch of Issuu Promote, an ad integration tool for Facebook and Instagram, allowing for content to be distributed across multiple social media channels. [17]

The company announced that its iOS and Android apps would be discontinued in April 2023. [18]

In July 2024, the Italian technology company Bending Spoons announced it had acquired Issuu. [19]

Funding

The company obtained $10 million in Series B that closed in 2014. [20] In September 2021, Issuu closed a round of financing that raised $31 million. [21]

Products and services

Issuu develops apps that convert PDFs into digital publications that can be shared via links or embedded into websites. Users can edit their publications by customizing the design, using templates, or adding links and multimedia to the pages of their documents. Issuu also provides tools for measuring and monetization of content. [1]

The app includes an offline reading list function that allowed users to read from the Issuu app without being online. The app can also stack publications back to back so that they can be read in succession. [22]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Mike Cassidy (27 September 2013). "Cassidy: Issuu shows Silicon Valley's vital role in global commerce". The Mercury News.
  2. 1 2 "Issuu Inc – Company Profile and News". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020.
  3. ↑ Schubarth, Cromwell. "Danish online publisher Issuu hires U.S. CEO, moves HQ to Palo Alto". bizjournals.com.
  4. ↑ "About issuu". issuu.com. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  5. 1 2 Perez, Sarah (3 October 2014). "Issuu Brings Its "YouTube For Magazines" To The iPhone And iPad". TechCrunch. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  6. ↑ Kate Knibbs (21 January 2014). "Magazine reader Issuu joins the Android Army, offers 15 million publications". Digital Trends.
  7. ↑ Adam Fisher (24 August 2009). "50 Best Websites 2009". Time. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  8. ↑ Steven Kurutz (1 June 2011). "The Thriving (Online) Shelter Magazine Industry". The New York Times . Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  9. ↑ Calvin Reid (16 September 2013). "Fast Growing issuu Appoints Joe Hyrkin CEO". Publishers Weekly . Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  10. ↑ "How to be more bossy at work (in a good way)". 8 May 2015.
  11. ↑ "Issuu, Now California-Based, Helps Niche Publishers Go Digital". Xconomy. 4 December 2013.
  12. ↑ Wauters, Robin (5 March 2013). "Issuu Hits 10 Million Publication, Buys Software Firm Magma". TNW | Insider. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  13. ↑ Sarah Perez (3 October 2014). "issuu Brings its "YouTube for Magazines" to the iPhone and iPad". TechCrunch. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  14. ↑ Martin Bryant (9 July 2014). "Issuu launches Clip to help users and publishers share the best of its 16m publications". The Next Web. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  15. ↑ Perez, Sarah (3 October 2014). "Issuu Brings Its "YouTube For Magazines" To The iPhone And iPad". TechCrunch. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  16. ↑ "Magazine Reader Issuu Debuts Android App, Offers 15 Million Pubs". Digital Trends. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  17. ↑ "Issuu Launches Issuu Promote: Story Ad Integration for Facebook and Instagram". businesswire.com. 4 November 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  18. ↑ "Mobile App Sunset – Issuu Help Center".
  19. ↑ "Digital publishing platform Issuu acquired by Bending Spoons". Editor & Publisher. 22 July 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  20. ↑ "Issuu Raises $10M to Become 'YouTube' for Catalogs, Magazines" . Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  21. ↑ "Issuu Raises $31M from Capital IP". FinSMEs. 29 September 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  22. ↑ AppAdvice Staff. "Shelf Control: Free magazine issues are right at your fingertips with Issuu for iOS".

Further reading

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