About Pronoun
Pronoun is a Media & Entertainment company based in New York (United States) founded in 2009, and was acquired by Macmillan in May 2016. A digital book publishing platform. Pronoun has raised $11.25 million across 3 funding rounds from investors including Lerer Hippeau, Macmillan and Avalon Ventures. Pronoun has completed 1 acquisition, including Byliner. Its focus areas include Book Tech, Self Publishing Platforms and Books. Its competitors include Blurb and Readict; 1 of its 2 listed competitors has raised funding.
Company details
Pronoun, formerly known as Vook, is a digital book publishing platform. Offers end-to-end solution for the creation, distribution, and marketing of books online. Authors pay no upfront costs, sell on all major retailer channels, and retain 100 of their books earnings after standard retailer fees.
- Headquarters New York, United States
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsMedia & Entertainment
- Website pronoun.com
- Social LinkedIn X
- Acquired by Macmillan (May 2016)
- Total Equity Funding$11.25M (USD)
in 3 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$3.5M (USD), Series A
Jun 2015
- InvestorsLerer Hippeau
& 8 more
- Investments & Acquisitions
- Acquired byMacmillan
(May 2016)
Funding Insights of Pronoun
Pronoun has successfully raised a total of $11.25M across 3 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series A round of $3.5 million completed in June 2015. 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 $11.25M
- Total Rounds 3
- Last Round Series A — $3.5M
- First Round $2.5M
(Feb 2010)
- Investors Count 8
All 3 funding rounds of Pronoun 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2015 | $3.5M | Series A | – | Avalon Ventures | – |
| Jan 2011 | $5.25M | Series A | – | VantagePoint Capital Partners, Floodgate | – |
| Feb 2010 | $2.5M | Seed | – | Floodgate, Baseline Ventures | – |
9 investors in total: 9 institutional.
Investors in Pronoun
Pronoun has secured backing from 9 investors, including venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Lerer Hippeau, Macmillan and Avalon Ventures.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Seed and early-stage venture capital is provided to US companies. | avalon-ventures.com | Cambridge, United States | ||
Venture capital firm | vpcp.com | Santa Barbara, United States | ||
Early-stage investments are focused on by Floodgate in US startups. | floodgate.com | Menlo Park, United States | ||
Seed and early-stage investments are focused on US tech companies. | baselinev.com | San Francisco, United States | ||
Venture capital firm focused on tech sectors | foundercollective.com | Cambridge, United States | ||
Early-stage investments are provided to transformative technology companies. | svangel.com | San Francisco, United States | ||
USA focused VC firm investing in seed and early stage startups | 2010 | lererhippeau.com | New York, United States | |
Investments in technology startups are made by Felicis Ventures. | felicis.com | Menlo Park, United States | ||
Books for children and adults are published by Macmillan. | 1843 | macmillan.com | New York, United States |
Investor details for Pronoun
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Investments & Acquisitions by Pronoun
Pronoun has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 1 company. Notable acquisitions include Byliner.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Provider of curated book lists, gift guides, and product deal aggregation | byliner.com | San Francisco, United States | 2011 | Sep 2014 | •••• |
Complete acquisition details for Pronoun
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Timeline of Pronoun
Competitors of Pronoun
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| blurb.com | 2005 | San Francisco, United States | $23.75M | 56 | Book publishing software and Saas | |
| readictnovel.com | 2020 | San Jose, United States | Functions as an app-based platform for book reading. |
Detailed competitors of Pronoun
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- Full competitor set
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Top companies in Book & Digital Reading Platforms
3 companies that operate in the same segment as Pronoun (Book & Digital Reading Platforms) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Digital audiobooks are produced and streamed via a SaaS platform. | 1995 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | USD 6 M | |||
Rental books and homework help are provided to university students. | 2005 | Santa Clara, California, United States | USD 205.99 M | USD 376.91 M | 1,270 | |
SaaS-based book reading platform | 2006 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 105.24 M |
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Frequently Asked Questions about Pronoun
Pronoun was founded in 2009 and raised its 1st funding round 1 year after it was founded.
Pronoun is headquartered in New York, United States. It is registered at New York, New York, United States.
Pronoun is a funded company, having raised a total of $11.25M across 3 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Seed of $2.5M, raised on Feb 2010.
Pronoun, formerly known as Vook, is a digital book publishing platform. Offers end-to-end solution for the creation, distribution, and marketing of books online. Authors pay no upfront costs, sell on all major retailer channels, and retain 100 of their books earnings after standard retailer fees.
Pronoun has made 1 acquisition, including Byliner.
Pronoun has 9 investors. Key investors include Lerer Hippeau, Macmillan, Avalon Ventures, VantagePoint Capital Partners, and Floodgate.
Yes. Pronoun was acquired by Macmillan in May 2016.