bookie closes first financing round

With social reading, book club functions and direct support for local booksellers, bookie is hitting the nerve of the times. the nerve of the times

Berlin, June 11, 2025 - Berlin-based startup bookie, a community and discovery platform for reading, has successfully closed its first official financing round. The round was led by early-stage investor BRAFE SPACE, supported by several angel investors who want to accompany the team in the long term.

bookie was founded in 2021 by Lukas Hoffmann and has a clear mission: to create a platform on which readers, authors and book clubs can digitally network, exchange ideas and shape reading culture together.

The book market is huge, but digitally underdeveloped

The German book market generates over nine billion euros a year. Nevertheless, the digital book experience is often fragmented: Book discovery is random, book marketing is expensive and inefficient, digital communities are rarely permanently active or centrally organized.

This is exactly where bookie comes in: With an intuitive app, the platform combines inspiration, purchasing and community and brings brick-and-mortar bookstores on board.

Social reading on the rise

Over 70,000 readers are already using bookie, a strong indication of the growing trend towards social reading, online book clubs and bookfluencers.

We are building the infrastructure to enable this new movement - reader-centered, creator-driven, inspiring.

Lukas Hoffmann, founder of bookie

What bookie offers and how it works

bookie users can discover suitable books, buy them directly in the app and support local bookshops across Germany at the same time. Other functions enhance the reading experience:

• Goodreads import: existing reading lists can be easily transferred.
• Reading sessions (iOS): Track your reading behavior, build routines.
• Super Scanner: Add books to your list in a flash using the ISBN number.
• Save & share favorite quotes: Document personal highlights directly.

The platform is growing continuously and relies on creators, book clubs and digital formats that make reading culture more visible and accessible.