14 Million Downloads And Counting: The Blinkist Revolution Is Only Just Beginning

In 2012, four friends had an idea: what if they could build an app that brings the knowledge of nonfiction into the lives of busy people? That’s when Blinkist was born and the revolutionary app pioneered an entirely new way of consuming nonfiction books that has unlocked learning for millions of people. Blinkist takes core ideas from a nonfiction book and packages them into an explainer which you can enjoy in as little as 15 minutes.

This smart learning app took the world by storm as it appeals to knowledge-hungry individuals who yearn to learn, but don’t have the time. In just eight years, the Blinkist revolution has attracted over 14 million people from over 250 countries, one of whom is Apple CEO, Tim Cook.

With the help of $35 million in funding, the small startup has grown into a major player on the e-learning scene. It’s been named by LinkedIn as one of the best startups in Germany and Apple, Google, and the UN have praised Blinkist as an app that’s building a better world through learning.

When we started, most apps were for social media or gaming. We wanted to do something different and build an app that would add genuine value to someone’s life. — Holger Seim, Blinkist CEOFrom left: The Blinkist founders: Niklas Jansen, Tobi Balling and Holger Seim. (Not pictured: Sebastian Klein)

Blinkist is a revolutionary and pioneering product that satisfies our growing thirst for knowledge. — Nicolas Wittenborn, Vice President of Insight Venture Partners, Blinkist Investor

Blinkist is now so popular it ranks in the top twenty brands featured in the App Store’s lifelong learning category. And just this year, two separate industry experts—GP Bullhound and the German equivalent of TechCrunch, Gruenderszene—both predicted that Blinkist would become worth $1 billion in the near future.

Now let’s take a look at why over 14 million people have adopted Blinkist and how it’s pioneering a new way to learn.

A Book Explained in 15 Minutes

Blinkist began a learning revolution as it was one of the first apps of its kind to focus exclusively on nonfiction titles. Not only is this category of books beloved by millions around the world, but it’s increasing in popularity. According to Statista, in just October and November of last year, over 5 million adult nonfiction titles were sold every week in the United States. This marks an increase of over half a million for the corresponding period in 2018.

For busy people it can be tough to find the time to read a classic title like How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie, but with Blinkist, anyone can learn the key concepts in just 11 minutes. After each explainer pack, users can read the book in full—either by downloading the audiobook directly in the app or heading to their nearest bookstore.

The explainer pack for one of Blinkist’s first titles, ‘How to Win Friends & Influence People’ by Dale Carnegie

The Blinkist founders set out to help everyone access the knowledge contained within nonfiction titles with digestible explainer packs. That’s why Blinkist has skyrocketed in popularity since 2012 and has proven such a valuable learning tool for millions.

Blinkist is Leading the Way for Microlearning

The Blinkist app is a part of an e-learning revolution in how we access knowledge and learn new skills. According to a study by Statista, the e-learning sector is predicted to become worth $275 billion by 2022. Industry experts like Forbes, Cision and Business Insider are confident that Blinkist is set to be a part of our learning future as it brings the concept of microlearning—short slices of information that can fit into our life—into the palm of your hand.

We’ll also see an increase in microlearning. Blinkist condenses the most important information from nonfiction books into 15 minutes of audio, and currently has a community of 13 million learners. Education will have to adapt to our ever-shortening attention spans. — Forbes

Millions have already benefited from learning with Blinkist and it’s even influencing their decisions in daily life. For instance, a recent survey of 3,500 users based in the US found out that 87.51% of respondents would often make changes to their lives based on what they learned using Blinkist.

How Blinkist Reached 14 Million People in Over 250 Countries

The story of how Blinkist reached over 14 million people in nearly every country on Earth is one of hard work, adversity, and perseverance.

From the start, the four founders wanted to build a service that would help anyone get more reading done. However, the beginning was not so easy as the company nearly faced bankruptcy in its first year. It was in this crucial moment that the Blinkist team decided that their innovative app could appeal to not just book lovers but anyone who wanted to learn more.

Fast forward to today, and Blinkist has never been more popular. The app’s user friendly interface has won a Google Material Design Award and for three years in a row Blinkist was named by LinkedIn as one of the best startup employers in Germany. With over 14 million users and over 4,000 nonfiction titles to choose from the Blinkist revolution has only just begun.

Since we founded Blinkist, we’ve been passionate about building an app that can appeal to everyone. Over the last eight years, we’ve seen that the world is hungry to learn more, and with our app, they can do that. We are confident that the future is bright for Blinkist, and that we will lead the way with our unique app. — Holger Seim, Blinkist CEO.

One of the World’s Best Apps

Global institutions and technology giants have recognized the Blinkist app as leading a revolution and have bestowed the team with major awards. For instance, according to the United Nations, the innovations that Blinkist uses to help us learn are so ground-breaking that the international body gave the app a World Summit Award in 2017 for its contributions to Learning and Education.

With Blinkist, you can boost your knowledge and gain new perspectives so that you can be a better professional, a better partner, or a better you. — United Nations, World Summit Award

The 14 million users who have joined the Blinkist revolution are also praising the app. Blinkist currently has an impressive 90K five-star ratings from users across iOS and Android—in fact, nearly 75% of all user ratings for Blinkist were five stars.

Learning on the Go

According to the Association of American Publishers, audio content is the fastest-growing way to enjoy books, with 28.8 percent annual growth over the past five years. It’s no surprise that in 2016, when the Blinkist team took the leap into audio, that this quickly became the most popular way to consume a Blinkist explainer pack.

With audio you can transform a ‘dead’ part of your day into a time for learning. Blinkist can teach you about the wonders of science on your morning commute, the importance of nutrition while working out, and the value of mindfulness after a tough day at work.

The best habit I picked up during this quarantine is using @blinkist to learn new things while doing the dishes, laundry or cooking. It feels like I've read a library-worth of books while doing chores! Now I have a yearly subscription. #recommended

— Mohammad Hijazi (@mhijazi) May 23, 2020

To make learning with Blinkist a more immersive and engaging experience for the user, each explainer pack is narrated by professionals with smart audio cues to draw you into a nonfiction work. The app’s audio has been so well-received that the audio team won a Better Sound Award this year for their efforts.

I use Blinkist when I’m in between meetings and can’t get a giant task done, but at least I can be productive — Sarah Schupp, Professor & Founder of UniversityParent.com

It’s Backed by Science

One of the primary reasons why Blinkist is leading a learning revolution is that every explainer pack uses science-based learning methods to untangle big concepts in a natural way that helps us remember them. For instance, the Blinkist content team will use relatable anecdotes, scenarios, and case studies to bring the key learnings into a framework that you can understand.

The Blinkist explainer pack for the book ‘Sapiens’ by Yuval Noah Harari uses science-based learning to teach the author’s big ideas

With smart learning techniques, award-winning audio, and a huge library of content, there’s no better time to join the Blinkist revolution and kickstart your own learning journey. Download the app today and check out the thousands of free titles that are waiting to be explained.