Books Bike
Selling and delivering books.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
N/A | Seed | ||
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
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Books Bike, founded in 2016 in Cairo, Egypt, operated as a mobile bookstore and portable library service. The company's core mission was to enhance the accessibility of literature for the general public by using a bike cart to traverse the city streets. This approach was designed to remove the psychological and physical distances that can exist between potential readers and traditional brick-and-mortar bookstores, thereby fostering a stronger reading culture. The founders, identified as Mansour and Mohamed, drew inspiration from similar book bike initiatives they had observed in European countries, adapting the concept for the Egyptian market.
The business model centered on direct-to-consumer sales and delivery of books from a mobile platform. The inventory consisted of literary works and children's books sourced from certified bookstores, ensuring that publisher copyrights were respected. By transforming a familiar street cart—often associated with food—into a vessel for books, the founders aimed to shift public perception and make cultural products a more visible and integrated part of the urban landscape. The service targeted a broad audience, with a specific emphasis on engaging children and families. To further connect with its audience, the company maintained a Facebook page where it provided short descriptions of selected books.
Operationally, Books Bike functioned as a portable bookstore that moved throughout various neighborhoods in Cairo. The company also offered a home delivery service, a feature that resonated well within the local market. The venture received early support through an accelerator or incubator program. However, according to industry data source PitchBook, the company ceased operations as of June 2024.
Keywords: mobile bookstore, book delivery, Cairo startups, literacy promotion, direct-to-consumer books, portable library, book cart, Egyptian market, reading culture, street retail, book sales, community engagement, urban library, book accessibility, ceased operations, EdTech, B2C services, Cairo business