Bonnier eyeing start-ups

Bonnier Book Ventures (BBV) is looking to invest in start-ups, c.e.o. Rebecka Leffler has told The Bookseller. Launched in January, BBV was set up to be reactive and flexible in line with consumers’ changing demands and habits.

“The way we tell stories is rapidly evolving, which demands that platforms act faster and are more innovative,” she said. “BBV is fully focused on digital innovation, for which the acquisition of start-ups is as important as organic growth through product development. Our vision is to create an environment that stimulates and develops new ways to create, curate and distribute stories.”

BBV’s self-publishing platform Type & Tell was unveiled at this year’s fair, but Leffler said it would be “picky” about its investments. “It is important for us to be out there, talking to potential partners to see where we can find synergies between what we know and what they have developed,” she said.

BBV will launch a series of online courses on health, exercise and self-improvement (using Bonnier Books authors’ content) in beta in Sweden this month, with a view to evolving it into a “huge catalogue”.