About Kobo
Kobo is a Media & Entertainment company based in Toronto (Canada) founded in 2009, and was acquired by Rakuten in November 2011. Provider of app-based reading and self-publishing platform. Kobo has raised $116 million across 3 funding rounds from investors including Rakuten, CKH LIMITED and Indigo. Kobo has completed 2 acquisitions, including Escapes and tolino. Its chief executive, as recorded, is Michael Tamblyn. Its website kobo.com draws about 8.8 million monthly visits. Its focus areas include Book Tech, Book Reading, Devices and Consumer.
Company details
Kobo was founded in 2009 in Toronto, Canada, as a provider in the digital publishing sector. A self-publishing platform called Kobo Writing Life is offered to authors for digital distribution of their works. Content is made available via a companion app compatible with Android and iOS devices. Real-time sales tracking is enabled through an integrated analytics suite. Support is extended to multiple languages, such as German, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.
- Headquarters Toronto, Canada
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsMedia & Entertainment
- Website category Arts and Entertainment · Books and Literature
- Email••••••••
- Website store.kobobooks.com
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook
- Acquired by Rakuten (Nov 2011)
Apps and channels of Kobo
Kobo publishes 1 mobile app with over 10M+ downloads.
Funding Insights of Kobo
Kobo has successfully raised a total of $116M across 3 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series C round of $53 million completed in April 2011. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $116M
- Total Rounds 3
- Last Round Series C — $53M
- First Round $13M
(Jul 2010)
- Investors Count 2
All 3 funding rounds of Kobo with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2011 | $53M | Series C | – | – | |
| Mar 2011 | $50M | Series C | – | – | – |
| Jul 2010 | $13M | Series B | – | – | – |
3 investors in total: 3 institutional.
Investors in Kobo
Kobo has secured backing from 3 investors, including institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Rakuten, CKH LIMITED and Indigo.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Stationery products are retailed by Indigo in Canada. | 1996 | indigo.ca | Toronto, Canada | |
Ports, retail, infrastructure, energy, and telecommunications are operated worldwide. | ckh.com.hk | Romford, United Kingdom | ||
Internet services in e-commerce, finance, and digital content are operated. | 1997 | global.rakuten.com | Setagaya City, Japan |
Investor details for Kobo
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of Kobo
3 people are tracked at Kobo (3 in leadership).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Michael Tamblyn | CEO & President | Leadership |
Anna Giagkou | Chief Financial Officer | Leadership |
Blair Abercromby | VP Of Finance | Leadership |
Complete people profiles for Kobo
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Investments & Acquisitions by Kobo
Kobo has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 2 companies. Notable acquisitions include Escapes and tolino.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ebooks and audiobooks are retailed via a mobile application. | mytolino.de | Munich, Germany | 0 | Jan 2017 | •••• | |
A travel blog is operated to inspire adventure seekers. | aquafadas.com | Montpellier, France | 2006 | Oct 2012 | •••• |
Complete acquisition details for Kobo
Acquired stakes, deal sources and the complete acquisition history require an active premium plan.
- Acquired stakes
- Deal sources
- Complete history
- Exports
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of Kobo
6 dated milestones of Kobo across 8 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
Web traffic of Kobo
The website of Kobo (kobo.com) receives about 8.8M visits a month and ranks #5,694 among all websites worldwide, #538 in Books and Literature.
- Monthly visits8.8M
▲ 9.1% vs previous month
- Unique visitors3.4M
per month
- Global rank#5,694
among all websites
- Category rank#538
Arts and Entertainment · Books and Literature
- Bounce rate40%
- Pages per visit5.2
- Average visit3 min 09 sec
- DevicesDesktop 41% · Mobile 59%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Kobo. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| indigo.ca | 100% | 7.5M | #4,165 | View details | |
| feedbooks.com | 100% | 59.3K | #718,372 | View details | |
| overdrive.com | 92% | 14.3M | #3,464 | View details | |
libro.fm | libro.fm | 82% | #40,356 | – | |
inmondadori.it | inmondadori.it | 80% | – | ||
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 40 similar websites and full traffic analytics for Kobo
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- 40 similar websites
- Audience overlap
- Engagement analytics
- Traffic by brand
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Kobo
Kobo was founded in 2009 and raised its 1st funding round 1 year after it was founded.
Kobo is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. It is registered at Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Michael Tamblyn is the CEO of Kobo, as recorded in our data.
Kobo is a funded company, having raised a total of $116M across 3 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Series B of $13M, raised on Jul 2010.
Kobo was founded in 2009 in Toronto, Canada, as a provider in the digital publishing sector. A self-publishing platform called Kobo Writing Life is offered to authors for digital distribution of their works. Content is made available via a companion app compatible with Android and iOS devices. Real-time sales tracking is enabled through an integrated analytics suite. Support is extended to multiple languages, such as German, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.
Kobo has 3 investors. Key investors include Rakuten, CKH LIMITED, and Indigo.
Yes. Kobo was acquired by Rakuten in November 2011.
Yes. Kobo publishes Kobo | eBooks & Audiobooks, with over 10 million downloads.
The website of Kobo receives about 8.8 million visits a month and ranks #5,694 among all websites worldwide.