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.
Zendy and Casalini Libri Partner to Expand Access to European Humanities and AI Research Tools
Oxford, UK – Dec, 2025 – Zendy, the AI-powered research library, and Casalini Libri, one of the leading providers of European scholarly content and library services, have signed a partnership agreement to expand access to high-quality academic research in the humanities and social sciences. This strategic collaboration will make Casalini Libri’s extensive collection of European scholarly publications, including academic journals, monographs, and specialist research outputs, available on Zendy’s platform. The content will be discoverable through ZAIA, Zendy’s AI research assistant, helping librarians, researchers, students, and academic institutions worldwide find and engage with relevant European scholarship more efficiently. With over 800,000 users across 191 countries and territories, Zendy continues to grow as a trusted destination for discovering academic knowledge. By integrating Casalini Libri’s content, Zendy strengthens its mission to improve access to regionally significant scholarship and ensure that important European research is more visible, searchable, and widely used. Casalini Libri is internationally recognised for its deep expertise in European humanities and social sciences, with a particular focus on Southern Europe and broader continental scholarship. Through this partnership, these resources will reach a wider global audience, helping address long-standing discoverability challenges faced by non-English academic content. The collaboration also reflects Zendy’s commitment to linguistic and regional diversity in research. In a scholarly ecosystem where English-language publications dominate, increasing access to European research traditions is essential for a more balanced and representative academic landscape. Zendy users will now be able to explore Casalini Libri’s content seamlessly on the platform, supporting teaching, research, and interdisciplinary work rooted in European intellectual traditions. Together, Zendy and Casalini Libri aim to increase the global reach and impact of European scholarship. For more information, please contact:Lisette van KesselHead of MarketingEmail: l.vankessel@knowledgee.com About Zendy Zendy is an AI-powered, mission-driven, trustworthy research library dedicated to increasing the accessibility and discoverability of scholarly literature, particularly in the global south and underserved regions. The platform currently serves over 800,000 users across 200+ countries and territories, offering a comprehensive collection of academic journals, books, and reports to empower researchers, educators, and students. Zendy also provides AI tools, including its research assistant ZAIA, to help users read, analyse, and summarise academic content more efficiently. Website: https://zendy.io About Casalini Libri Casalini Libri is a leading supplier of European scholarly publications and library services, specialising in humanities and social sciences research. For decades, Casalini Libri has worked closely with publishers, libraries, and research institutions to curate, distribute, and preserve high-quality academic content, supporting the global exchange of European scholarship.
Zendy and WT Cox Partner to Expand Access to Scholarly Content for US Libraries
Oxford, UK – Dec, 2025 – Zendy, the AI-powered research library, and WT Cox, a leading US provider of library content, subscription management, and collection services, have signed a partnership agreement to expand access to scholarly research for academic and institutional libraries across the United States. This strategic collaboration will enable libraries working with WT Cox to benefit from Zendy’s extensive digital research collection and AI-powered discovery tools, supporting researchers, students, and faculty with broader, more affordable access to academic literature. With more than 800,000 users across 200+ countries and territories, Zendy continues to grow as a trusted platform for discovering and working with scholarly content. Through this partnership, WT Cox will support US libraries in offering Zendy as part of their digital collections, helping institutions address rising content costs while expanding access to high-quality research. WT Cox has a long-standing reputation for supporting libraries with flexible subscription models, personalised service, and deep expertise in academic collection development. By partnering with Zendy, WT Cox strengthens its ability to meet evolving library needs in an increasingly digital and research-driven environment. The collaboration reflects a shared commitment to supporting libraries as critical gateways to knowledge. As libraries face increasing pressure to provide wider access to research with limited budgets, solutions that combine scale, affordability, and intelligent discovery are becoming essential. Zendy users accessing content through participating libraries will benefit from advanced search, AI-assisted research tools, and a growing collection of scholarly publications across disciplines. Together, Zendy and WT Cox aim to support US libraries in delivering more accessible, discoverable, and sustainable research services to their communities. For more information, please contact:Lisette van KesselHead of MarketingEmail: l.vankessel@knowledgee.com About Zendy Zendy is an AI-powered research library dedicated to improving the accessibility and discoverability of scholarly literature, particularly in the global south and underserved regions. The platform serves more than 800,000 users across 200+ countries and territories, offering access to millions of academic journals, articles, and research outputs supported by AI-driven research tools. About WT Cox WT Cox is a leading US-based provider of library subscription services, collection management, and digital content solutions. Serving academic, special, and research libraries, WT Cox supports institutions with tailored services designed to simplify access to scholarly resources and support evolving research needs. .wp-block-image img { max-width: 85% !important; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; }
Zendy Signs First US University Press Partnership with the University of Georgia Press
Oxford, UK – Nov, 2025 – Zendy, the AI-powered research library serving more than 800,000 readers globally, has entered into a new partnership with the University of Georgia Press (UGA Press) to broaden the international reach of its publications. This marks Zendy’s first partnership with a university press in the United States, further expanding the reach of UGA Press’s titles to a global audience. Founded in 1938, UGA Press publishes 70 new titles annually, with recognised strengths in literary studies, history, environmental studies, sociology, geography, Atlantic world studies, and regional scholarship. Through this agreement, a selection of its catalogue will become available to researchers, students, librarians and professionals across Zendy’s international markets. This partnership reflects a growing confidence among academic publishers in Zendy’s model of widening access, increasing visibility, and ensuring that scholarly work finds engaged global readers. Zendy currently works with several major UK university presses, including Oxford University Press, Bristol University Press, and Liverpool University Press, which also distributes British Academy content. These collaborations have shown that academic presses benefit from Zendy’s reach, predictable revenue model, and strong content discovery tools designed for both specialist and interdisciplinary research. The agreement with UGA Press also includes the option to integrate AI-supported discovery features that help researchers navigate publications more effectively. These capabilities range from enhanced metadata enrichment to responsible, context-aware summarisation and multilingual discovery. Recent commitments from Bristol University Press and Liverpool University Press to adopt elements of this approach reflect a wider trend across scholarly publishing: a growing demand for AI tools that improve discoverability and user experience while preserving the integrity and rights of academic content. “The UGA Press is excited to partner with Zendy on bringing our scholarship to a broader global audience with enhanced discovery tools. We especially value Zendy’s focus on reducing inequality in access to scholarship and development of ethical and transparent AI strategy.”—Lisa Bayer, Director, UGA Press With over 2,200 titles in print, the University of Georgia Press publishes innovative scholarship and compelling stories that inspire and inform the people of Georgia and the world. Learn more at ugapress.org. Zendy’s mission is rooted in supporting not-for-profit academic publishers by expanding the reach of their content and helping them connect with new international audiences. As academic presses continue to navigate changing reading habits, new technologies, and limited distribution channels outside their home markets, Zendy offers a sustainable and reader-centric way forward. For media inquiries, please contact:Lisette van KesselHead of MarketingEmail: l.vankessel@knowledgee.com .wp-block-image img { max-width: 85% !important; margin-left: auto !important; margin-right: auto !important; }
Address
John Eccles HouseRobert Robinson Avenue,
Oxford Science Park, Oxford
OX4 4GP, United Kingdom