Abstract
24symbols is an online platform for streaming books from the cloud. It treats books as a service rather than as a product. With e-books widely available online, it was only a matter of time before an online platform that provided e-books as streamed content was launched. In 2010, four Spanish entrepreneurs in Madrid experienced in the information technology (IT) industry decided to form a company to develop a platform to stream and provide e-books for download. The team consisted of ÁngelLuengo, AitorGrandes, both of whom graduated from the Instituto Superior para el Desarrollo de Internet (ISDI), and David Sánchez and Justo Hidalgo, who graduated from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/ie-business-school.
- 2.
From interview with Justo Hidalgo, Co-Founder of 24symbols, on 4th June 2014.
- 3.
From interview with Justo Hidalgo, Co-Founder of 24symbols, on 4th June 2014.
- 4.
By 2012, the United States represented almost one-third of total revenues of the global publishing industry (based on market values at consumer prices) (24symbols 2014).
- 5.
From interview with Justo Hidalgo, co-founder of 24symbols, on 4 June 2014.
- 6.
From interview with Justo Hidalgo, co-founder of 24symbols, on 4 June 2014.
- 7.
From interview with Justo Hidalgo, co-founder of 24symbols, on 4 June 2014.
References
24symbols. 2011. 24symbols: The spotify model for eBooks—presentation. SlideShare, 16 Mar 2011. http://www.slideshare.net/24symbols/24symbols-the-spotify-model-for-ebooks-presentation
24symbols. 2014. The black swan start-up—24Symbols: Business plan. 24symbols, updated 23 May 2014.
Amorós, J. E., and N. Bosma. 2014. Global entrepreneurship monitor 2013 global report. GEM Consortium: Babson College (US), Universidad del Desarrollo (Chile), Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (Malaysia) and London Business School (UK). http://www.gemconsortium.org/docs/download/3106
Brunelli, M. 2013. Denodo technologies aims for a broader approach to data virtualization. Search Data Management, 21 June 2013. http://searchdatamanagement.techtarget.com/news/2240186649/Denodo-Technologies-aims-for-a-broader-approach-to-data-virtualization
Coduras, A., D. Urbano, A. Rojas, and S. Martínez. 2008. The relationship between university support to entrepreneurship with entrepreneurial activity in Spain: A GEM data based analysis. International Advances in Economic Research 14: 395–406.
Cornell, INSEAD, and WIPO. 2013. The global innovation index 2013. Johnson Cornell University, INSEAD, and World Intellectual Property Organization (UN). http://www.globalinnovationindex.org/content.aspx?page=GII-Home
ESADE. 2011. White paper on entrepreneurship in Spain: Executive summary. ESADE Business School. http://itemsweb.esade.es/wi/research/eei/Investigacion/Executive%20Summary.pdf
Franzen, C. 2013. Ebooks made up 22.55 Percent of all US publishing revenue in 2012. The Verge, 12 Apr 2013. http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/12/4216862/ebooks-made-up-22-55-percent-of-all-us-publishing-revenue-in-2012
Galaria, F. 2013. Publishing crisis? Time to create a spotify for books. The Guardian, November 13. http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2013/nov/13/publishing-crisis-spotify-books-music
Ham, A. 2014. The lost generation of Spain’s unemployed youth Sydney Morning Herald, Feb 27. http://www.smh.com.au/world/the-lost-generation-of-spains-unemployed-youth-20140226-33i8e.html
Hernandez, J. A. 2012. Spain does not need mini-jobs, requires 5,000 Steve jobs. Actibva, Feb 14. http://www.actibva.com/magazine/mercado-laboral/espana-no-necesita-minijobs-necesita-5000-steves-jobs-por-juanangelher
Hidalgo, J. 2013. Why 24symbols partnered with Zed and what our future holds. DigitalBookWorld, 9 May. http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2013/why-24symbols-partnered-with-zed-and-what-our-future-holds/
Hidalgo, J. 2014. The black swan start-up—24symbols: Business plan. 24symbols, updated 23 May 2014.
Leon, G. 2013. Analysis of university-driven open innovation ecosystems: The UPM case study. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, August. http://www.upm.es/sfs/Montegancedo/documentos%202013/documentos%20finales/UPM-driven%20open%20innovation%20ecosystem_ok2.pdf
Milliot, J. 2013. BEA 2013: The e-Book boom years. Publishers Weekly, 29 May. http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bea/article/57390-bea-2013-the-e-book-boom-years.html
OCED. 2007. Madrid, Spain. OECD territorial reviews. Paris: OECD. http://browse.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/pdfs/free/0407111e.pdf
Pilato, F. 2004. Sony LIBRIe – The first ever e-Ink e-Book reader. Mobile Magazine, 25 Mar. http://www.mobilemag.com/2004/03/25/sony-librie-the-first-ever-e-ink-e-book-reader/
PRI. 2013. Spain trying to combat joblessness by promoting entrepreneurship. PRI, 8 May 2013. http://www.pri.org/stories/2013-05-08/spain-trying-combat-joblessness-promoting-entrepreneurship
Riggins, J. 2013. ‘Why the Spanish aren’t entrepreneurs. SmartPlanet, Blog, 17 Feb 2013. http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/global-observer/why-the-spanish-arent-entrepreneurs/
Sanchez, D. 2011. 24symbols: One-click reading. Trends & Technology, 2 Oct 2011. http://www.slideshare.net/clustergrafico/1-david-snchez-24symbols
Start-Up Genome, and Telfonica Digital. 2012. Start-up ecosystem report 2012. Start-up Genome & Telefonica. http://cdn2.blog.digital.telefonica.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Start-up-Eco_14012013.pdf
The Economist. 2014. Shoe on the other foot. The Economist, 25 Jan 25. http://www.economist.com/news/americas/21594985-spains-crisis-and-latin-americas-cash-prompt-gradual-rebalancing-relations-shoe
Wauters, R. 2013. Zed buys 32% stake in seedcamp-backed 24symbols, the Spanish ‘spotify for books’. TheNextWeb, 10 May. http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/05/10/zed-buys-32-stake-in-24symbols-the-spanish-spotify-for-ebooks/
Webb, J. 2011. Books as a service: How and why it works. TOC, 28 July 2011. http://toc.oreilly.com/2011/07/books-as-a-service.html
WEF. 2013. The global competitiveness report 2013–2014. World Economic Forum. http://www.weforum.org/reports/global-competitiveness-report-2013-2014.
Weverbergh, R. 2013. Why Spain has an entrepreneurship problem (and why there’s hope). Whiteboard Magazine. http://www.whiteboardmag.com/why-spain-has-an-entrepreneurship-problem-and-why-theres-hope/
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2016 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s)>
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Mahroum, S. (2016). 24symbols in Madrid: Leveraging Cultural Links. In: Black Swan Start-ups. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-57727-6_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-57727-6_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-57726-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-57727-6
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)