Middle East Technology Excellence Award 2022 for Startup in Education was presented to Zendy
Dec 6, 2022 |
4 Mins ReadThe platform won the award for startup in the education category, joining the league of past winners such as Du, Amazon (MENA), the Entertainer, & BLOOVO to become one of the most innovative companies in the Middle East.
For tech startup Zendy, it is simply unfair that students, researchers, and professionals in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and other developing regions cannot access the same depth of research as those in developed countries. This is despite the rapid shift in the academic publishing spectrum.
Zendy is a product of Knowledge E, a private technology company providing access to digital libraries, training, consulting, and publishing services in the academic sector. Co-founded by entrepreneur Kamran Robert Kardan, it was built in response to the high cost of access to scholarly literature and the limitations of access to academic content in emerging and developing regions.
As such, Zendy, being a fast mover in the industry, offers an alternative to traditional access models. The startup works with publishers and researchers to bridge the gap in equality in emerging regions. It also offers a unique hybrid model for accessing content to meet the consumption needs of academic and non-academic professionals whilst offering publishers a share of the subscriptions’ revenue.
It offers users two options to access content: Zendy Plus and Zendy Open. The former is a subscription-based solution that provides individuals and organisations unlimited access to premium journals from major publishers, whilst the latter is a global open-access solution that features millions of OA resources from leading academic publishers.
Zendy Plus offers unlimited access to research for an average monthly cost of $15, whilst Zendy Open is free and available from anywhere around the world.
Zendy’s monthly user growth rate is 11%, with a sign-up projection of 35,000 by Q4 2022.
Zendy is also an avid supporter of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals relating to equality and inclusivity in education to promote lifelong learning opportunities for everyone.
“We’re delighted to be recognised amongst leaders in the technology sector in MENA. What started as a simple concept of creating an affordable and accessible digital library, has now developed into a meaningful platform that empowers individuals to leverage research. The best part is that we’re just getting started. Our recent launch in Nigeria and soon-to-be-released feature updates are all designed to continue our mission to support lifelong learning opportunities for everyone, everywhere,” said Zendy Co-founder Kamran Kardan.
It has won the Startup - Education category in the recently held Middle East Technology Excellence Awards for this innovation.
The prestigious awards programme honours outstanding companies in the region that have made exceptional contributions in the pursuit of technological innovation in their respective industries.
This article orginally appeared on Asian Business Review.
NewsZendy signs global licensing agreement with Bristol University Press
Aug 14, 2023 |4 Mins Read[Dubai, 14 August 2023] – Zendy has signed a global licensing agreement with Bristol University Press, an academic publisher known for its commitment to advancing research and knowledge dissemination. The agreement will allow Zendy users to access academic resources from Bristol University Press across social sciences and aligned disciplines. Bristol University Press has built a reputation for publishing world-class research that addresses pressing global challenges and contributes to the advancement of social sciences. Their dedication to inclusive knowledge aligns seamlessly with Zendy's mission to make quality academic content accessible to individuals, researchers, and students regardless of geographical boundaries. "We are excited to partner with Bristol University Press to offer our users a more diverse selection of research on our platform," said Zendy Co-founder Kamran Kardan. "This collaboration underlines our commitment to connecting researchers, students, and knowledge enthusiasts with top-tier academic content, fostering collaboration and learning on a global scale." This announcement comes as Zendy continues to forge partnerships with prominent academic publishers to expand its content library and cater to diverse user interests. Zendy recently announced a series of new partnerships with IntechOpen, IEEE, IT Governance Publishing, and IGI Global. The partnership with Bristol University Press reinforces Zendy's dedication to nurturing a global academic community and making scholarly resources accessible to all. About Zendy: Zendy is a product of Knowledge E. Since its inception in 2019, Zendy has connected over 200,000 users to academic journals, proceedings, articles, e-books, and more. Zendy is on a mission to make academic literature more affordable and accessible for students, researchers, and professionals worldwide. Zendy was awarded Best Startup – Education at the Middle East Technology Excellence Awards 2022. To learn more, visit www.zendy.io. About Bristol University Press: Bristol University Press is an academic publisher committed to publishing high-quality research that addresses global challenges and contributes to various disciplines. The press is known for its commitment to open access and the dissemination of knowledge for the betterment of society. To learn more visit, bristoluniversitypress.co.uk.
NewsZendy signs Agreement with International Academic Publisher IGI Global
Jul 7, 2023 |4 Mins Read[United Arab Emirates, July] – Zendy, the AI-powered research library, has signed a licensing agreement with leading international academic publisher, IGI Global. With this agreement, IGI Global’s extensive collection of Open Access content, including their fully transformed OA journal portfolio (175+ e-Journals) as well as book content across subject areas including Business & Management; Scientific, Technical, Medical (STM); and Education, will become available to Zendy’s fast-growing user base. By working with publishers, Zendy continues to strengthen its dedication to promoting accessibility and fostering collaboration among the global research community. “We are delighted to partner with IGI Global to enhance the accessibility of open access books and journals through Zendy. This collaboration exemplifies our commitment to breaking down barriers to access knowledge and empowering researchers worldwide. We can create a more inclusive and equitable scholarly ecosystem through collaboration," said Zendy Co-founder Kamran Kardan. Melissa Wagner, Vice President of Editorial for IGI Global, mentions, “Integrating with Zendy supports our mission of equality and accessibility of innovative research for all, which has been at the forefront of our company’s values for over 35 years. This partnership will enable our open access authors to benefit from even wider discoverability, usage, and citations of their work from readers worldwide.” Zendy is dedicated to contributing towards Sustainable Development Goals 4 (Quality Education) and 10 (Reduced Inequalities). By working with publishers to increase accessibility to academic research, Zendy aims to bridge the knowledge gap and promote equitable access to scholarly resources worldwide. For more information about Zendy, please visit www.zendy.io. About Zendy Zendy is a product of Knowledge E. Since its inception in 2019, Zendy has connected over 200,000 users to academic journals, proceedings, articles, e-books, and more. Zendy is on a mission to make academic literature more affordable and accessible for students, researchers, and professionals worldwide. Zendy was awarded Best Startup – Education at the Middle East Technology Excellence Awards 2022. To learn more, visit www.zendy.io. About IGI Global Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA with a subsidiary office (IGI Science and Technology, Ltd.) operating out of Beijing, China, IGI Global is a leading medium-sized and independent international academic publisher of scholarly reference sources. They are committed to facilitating the discovery of pioneering scientific research that enhances and expands the body of knowledge available to the research community through traditional and open access publishing workflows. Working in close collaboration with more than 200,000+ expert researchers and professionals from leading institutions, IGI Global publishes quality peer-reviewed content in three major academic subject areas: Business & Management; Scientific, Technical, & Medical (STM), and Education. To learn more, visit www.igi-global.com/about/.
NewsZendy Signs Global Agreement with IT Governance Publishing
Jun 19, 2023 |4 Mins Read[United Arab Emirates, June, 2023] – Zendy, the AI-powered digital research library, has a global licensing agreement with IT Governance Publishing, a leading provider of books on information technology, cybersecurity, and governance. As the demand for access to quality research continues to grow, Zendy is providing a solution to help promote a more equitable access model for individuals who are not associated with an institutional library. With a vast collection of scholarly literature, Zendy strives to help publishers increase the visibility of their content to a growing audience of over 170,000 registered users from 162 countries. IT Governance Publishing is known for its extensive portfolio of books focusing on information technology, cybersecurity, data protection, and governance best practices. This partnership will see IT Governance's titles added to Zendy's research library, enhancing the platform's diverse range of content. "Zendy is committed to providing users with the most comprehensive and diverse collection of research material possible," said Zendy Co-founder, Kamran Kardan. "We are thrilled to partner with IT Governance and make their publications available to our users. Partnerships enable our mission to democratise access to knowledge, bridging the gap between researchers, students, and professionals globally. Through increased accessibility, we strive to reduce inequalities and empower individuals to drive innovation and make a lasting impact on society." “When I first met the team at Zendy and they explained what they had planned, I knew the importance of partnering with them, their mission is something that I believe is a great opportunity to grow equality around the world,” said IT Governance Publishing Relations Manager, Andreas Chrysostomou. In today's interconnected world, accessing diverse perspectives and research from across the globe is paramount. By providing a platform that transcends borders, Zendy ensures that users from different countries and regions can benefit from a wide range of scholarly resources, fostering a rich and inclusive learning environment. Learn more about Zendy: www.zendy.io About Zendy Zendy is a product of Knowledge E. Since its inception in 2019, Zendy has connected over 170,000 users to academic journals, proceedings, articles, e-books, and more. Zendy is on a mission to make academic literature more affordable and accessible for students, researchers, and professionals worldwide. Zendy was awarded Best Startup – Education at the Middle East Technology Excellence Awards 2022. About IT Governance Publishing IT Governance Publishing is a leading provider of books, training, and consultancy services in the fields of information technology, cybersecurity, and governance. With a comprehensive range of resources authored by industry experts, IT Governance Publishing supports individuals and organisations in enhancing their IT performance, managing risk, and complying with relevant regulations.