Two Start-Up Companies Combine to Deliver the Electronic Books of Tomorrow

Publiwide and Sugarcube are combining their know-how in order to develop software for the transformation and distribution of interactive content. The initial target market is textbook and reference publishing. The main concern of publishers is to transform data in a sustainable manner in order to adapt to future market trends, for example, to offer new interactive and enhanced experiences to their readers.

The fundamental added value of this partnership is the provision of software that supports the digital editorial process and the distribution of content across all digital media.

«Publiwide has very a very specific vision of what electronically-available textbooks should be like and how they should be presented in new formats (such as the iPad) with optimal ergonomics», says Maurizio Rigamonto, CEO of Sugarcube. «Through close contacts with publishers such as Les Editions Pédagogiques in Switzerland or Hodder Education in Great-Britain, Publiwide first established a concept and then set up a technological platform that embodies an interactive and enhanced reading experience, accessible simultaneously on iPads, laptops and the web.»

Both companies are backed by Fribourg organisations (Friup/Genilem for Sugarcube and Seed Capital Fribourg for Publiwide) and are specifically partnering-up for the development of digital publishing technology in EPUB format.

«Sugarcube has the core technology that can transform existing documents and produce rich and dynamic content semi-automatically and in accordance with the standards in force in the publishing world», adds Sebastien Dubuis, Director of Publiwide. «While we target the international market, in particular Europe and the United States, creating a strong synergy with another entity in Fribourg is an indisputable opportunity. Alternatives on the market will multiply, but our approach provides  long-term value for the publication of any reference document. »