Blinkist is joining forces with Go1

Today marks an important milestone in the Blinkist story. I am thrilled to announce that Go1 has acquired Blinkist.

Our purpose at Blinkist has always been to spark understanding as a catalyst for growth and positive change. With Go1’s mission to unlock positive potential in people through a love of learning, we couldn’t think of a better fit to write the next chapter of our respective journeys together. Together with Go1, we’ll be able to create a more holistic offering that engages lifelong learners in their everyday lives, both professionally and personally.

As a well-established leader in learning and development content, Go1’s open platform gives some of the world’s largest companies and their employees access to high-quality education and training in a single solution. By joining forces with Go1, it will enable us to grow our Blinkist for Business offering much faster, whilst allowing Go1 to leverage our expertise in engaging learners beyond their workplace. Together, we can serve learners as a whole and create a model that is unmatched in the market and accelerate our paths to achieving our now combined mission.

In the words of my now-colleague Andrew Barnes, co-CEO of Go1 “The combination of Go1 and Blinkist offers something not replicated in any corner of the corporate learning market”. This is one of the rare opportunities to write a ‘1+1=3 story’, and this is what genuinely excites me about this step.?

After more than 10 years of growing Blinkist, this is also a reflective moment for me. When I started Blinkist in 2012 with my co-founders, I was full of excitement and optimism, but also a little naive about the journey that I was about to embark on.?

We had our fair share of highs and lows during these 10 years. Celebrating exciting milestones—our first funding round, our first paying customer, the first 1 million euros in revenue, being listed as one of Apple’s best apps, and welcoming Tim Cook to our Berlin office. That being said, it wasn’t all plain sailing. In the early days, we heard from many investors that our model was too niche and not scalable, getting close to bankruptcy. Seeing the group of co-founders go separate ways, to difficult times through the Covid-19 pandemic.?

Throughout these years, I had to go through a lot of growing pains. Occasionally, close friends have asked me whether I’d do it again and if I’d still have the energy to continue the journey with Go1. When reflecting on this, I realized that this is exactly what excited me for all these years, and excites me about the future with Go1. I’m just as motivated to grow myself as I am to help our customers grow.

That being said, this wouldn’t have been possible and fun without such a fantastic team around me. Combining success with people and culture has always been important to me, and I’m glad we’ve got to where we are today without compromising on this balance.?

To everyone who believed in us and worked passionately to take the Blinkist product and culture to where it is today, I am beyond grateful. Thank you, Team Blinkist!

I’m really excited to see the Blinkist team integrate with Go1 with a focus on learners, continuing to grow our consumer-focused service out of Berlin, and stepping into my new role as Go1s COO, Learners.

The next exciting chapter for Blinkist is about to be written, and I can’t wait to do it alongside Go1.

For more details about the acquisition, you can read the press release on the Blinkist Website and send any inquiries to [email protected]