Secret Leaders with Dan Murray-Serter & Chris Donnelly

Just acquired Blinkist Founder on life-changing books, mistakes & finding your ikigai - Holger Seim

May 30, 2023

Listen as Holger Seim, Co-Founder and former CEO of Blinkist, shares his journey of building the app and discusses topics like the value of full books vs Blinkist summaries, selling a business, and the challenges faced by entrepreneurs. He also offers valuable advice on building a lasting business.

53:09

Episode guests

Holger Seim

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

How Blinkist Became Cashflow Positive and Found Breakout Growth with B2B

02:13

Embracing AI and the future of book summarization

01:58

The Founding Story of Blinkist

03:36

Tips for Entrepreneurship: Becoming a Sector Expert and Enjoying Your Team

01:35

Introduction

2min

Upbringing in a Small German Village

13min

Selling Your Business, High-Speed Internet, and the Value of Full Books vs Blinks

5min

From Idea to App: The Birth of Blinkist

24min

Cybersecurity, HR Software, and AI in E-Learning

5min

Building a Lasting Business: Advice for Entrepreneurs

2min

Expressing gratitude, playing ads, and signing off

2min

Holger Seim is the Co-Founder and former CEO of Blinkist, a subscription service that summarises non-fiction books in 15 minute explainers.

The company was started because Holger and his Co-Founders wanted to find a way to read more books in less time whilst together at college in 2012.

Blinkist has been downloaded 26 million times and was acquired by Go1 in May 2023, with Holger staying on as Chief Operating Officer.

We don’t know how much they were bought for, but Go1 CEO, Andrew Barnes, has implied it was “significantly bigger” than the company’s previous $160 million valuation.

So, how did they do it?

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