Voxa, the first Romanian streaming platform for audiobooks and e-books, recorded significant growth in the corporate sector, exceeding 10% of the business within 4 months of launch of the tech start-up. The company is aiming for corporate sector to represent 30% of the business by the end of the year. Voxa estimates a turnover of 700,000 euros for 2022, with 27,000 users already on its platform.
In addition, Voxa has a vision to change consumer habits. With data showing that, for 2021 only 1% of Romanians read digitally, (European average is 15%), Voxa is aiming to increase the percentage of Romanians who read digitally to 3% by the end of the year.
The increase in corporate subscriptions is a positive sign for the company that there is demand in the market for such products, with most customers coming from industries such as IT & C, consulting, banking, automotive, FMCG, online gambling, and real estate.
“20 companies have already shown interest in Voxa and have integrated our app in the last four months among the benefits offered to their employees. We are delighted to see that large corporations understand the importance of access to digital books for their employees, regardless of the field in which they operate. We are constantly striving to expand our portfolio and come up with practical solutions, adapted to the current lifestyle for all lovers of reading and technology”, said Cătălin Meșter, CEO of Voxa.
The platform has a target of over 100 large companies by the end of the year, Autonom, Stefanini, OTP Bank, Betfair are just some of the names that have recently joined Voxa. These increases are forecast by Voxa representatives in the context in which Romanian companies have changed their mindset towards employee benefits.
“Up until recently, companies were focused on traditional benefits that included meal vouchers, medical subscriptions, health insurance, etc., now they are increasingly looking to expand their offering expanding into personal development, access to courses, and well-being. The companies understand that they need to be competitive in terms of benefit packages and adapt quickly to the trend”, says Cătălin Meșter.
The price for a standard individual Voxa subscription, with unlimited access, is 48 lei, and in the case of corporate contracts, Voxa offers advantageous conditions in terms of costs. In addition, the company remains close to its customers and is actively involved in promoting the use of Voxa, by organizing book clubs and other activities.
Voxa offers companies the option of fully or partially covering the cost of subscriptions to its employees. There is also the option for employees to benefit from a preferential rate if they want to access Voxa from their own resources.
The Romanian start-up Voxa was officially launched in November 2021. The company managed to raise 540,000 euros in funding at the end of summer 2021 through SeedBlink.
Voxa aims to bring reading much closer to readers. The Voxa platform provides tens of thousands of books in e-book and audio-book format in Romanian and English, with unlimited access, as well as podcasts and book summaries.
“Romanians can now have access to books in digital format, which brings several benefits. For one, time-poor people can create time to read, especially with audiobooks, which are the only type of books that can be read while doing something else – walking, running, driving, cooking, arranging to go out, cleaning up or just relax on the couch. You can even read with your eyes closed! Also, through Voxa, people have immediate access to thousands of titles in a phone or tablet that weighs very little”, said Cătălin Meșter.
Voxa has been well-received in the local market and has grown rapidly, with 27,000 users already, 15,000 audiobooks and e-books, and 35 partner publishers. The company is aiming for 100,000 digital books and 80 publishing houses by the end of the year.
Voxa fits perfectly with the needs of corporate employees, those with an active lifestyle and those who read or listen to books during daily activities, such as on the way to/from the office, on coffee breaks, on trips, etc.
