Tag: #News

[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.

Zendy is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with IntechOpen, a leading global publisher of Journals and Books within the fields of Science, Technology and Medicine. Zendy will host IntechOpen’s Book Series and open science journals, offering all the benefits of open access to authors, users, and readers.

Zendy a product of Knowledge E, provides seamless access to millions of articles, journals, e-books, and more. Comprehensive filters enable users to search effectively for content, making it easier for them to identify, read, cite, and save the content that they need.

As members of the SDG Publishers Compact, both Knowledge E and IntechOpen share the same commitment to increase awareness, publish and disseminate scientific research that supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This is why we are thrilled that the Sustainable Development series will be featured on the Zendy platform, as this is how we can all work together to contribute and achieve the SDGs.

Zendy Co-founder Kamran Kardan said, “IntechOpen has been a driving force in the open access movement, and we are proud to partner with them to further our shared mission of democratising access to knowledge. With IntechOpen’s extensive portfolio of scholarly work and Zendy’s cutting-edge technology, we can make a significant impact on improving the accessibility of scientific research in developing regions, ultimately contributing to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.”

Viktorija Žgela, Head of Editorial Development at IntechOpen, commented: “The journey towards more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable future starts with collaborative efforts. The scholarly communication landscape with all its stakeholders, including researchers, publishers, online libraries, and service providers that facilitate and enrich the publishing experience and the communication of the scientific output, is part of this journey. Therefore, it is a pleasure to partner with Zendy because we share the same vision, mission, and values: to make academic content accessible to everyone in the world.”

Learn more about Zendy: https://zendy.io

Learn more about IntechOpen: https://www.intechopen.com/

UAE-based startup Zendy (a product of Knowledge E) recently showcased at STEP Conference Dubai, the region’s leading technology festival for emerging markets. Renowned for empowering diversity and innovation, STEP boasts a cutting-edge atmosphere, fueled by trailblazing MENA-based startups. 

The STEP conference is an annual event that brings entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts together to showcase their technology-driven startups 

At STEP 2023, startups across digital, sustainability, education, and fintech industries showcased their technology. With a key focus on making academic content more accessible and affordable, especially in emerging regions, Zendy showcased the limitless potential of its digital academic research library to hundreds of founders, funders, and technology enthusiasts. 

Artificial intelligence was a key trend at STEP Conference 2023. With more companies adopting AI to create user-friendly and highly persoanlised experiences, it is evident that the market is pivoting. 

Zendy’s vision of being like ‘Netflix for researchers’ will come to life with a host of new feature updates to be launched in the coming quarters. Powered by AI and machine learning algorithms, Zendy will soon deliver a truly personalised experience to users. 

Collaborative filtering and content-based filtering will ensure researchers receive recommendations and highly targeted search results based on their profile, helping them save time in the research process. 

“One of the many benefits of building a technology company in MENA is the immense energy, support, and talent that exists in the region. There really is an ecosystem of breakthrough innovation that is inspiring. STEP Conference never disappoints in bringing together the best of the region and it was great for Zendy to have its first showcase – especially in a year largely dedicated to advancements in AI,” said CEO of Knowledge E and Zendy Co-Founder, Kamran Kardan. 

Zendy’s digital research library will continue to enhance its experience with features and content that not only is inclusive of all demographics but also streamlines the process of research. 

Discover millions of e-books, journal articles, proceedings and more on Zendy now.

The Middle East startup landscape is buzzing with breakthrough innovation and creativity. Zendy is proud to play a role in the ecosystem of MENA-based startups and we’re thrilled to accept the award for Best Startup – Education at the Middle East Technology Excellence Awards. 

Zendy Co-founder Kamran Kardan recently sat down with Asian Business Review to accept the award and discuss Zendy’s mission, vision, and values. 

Kamran commenced the interview by giving a big shoutout to the Zendy team for their tireless commitment to Zendy’s mission of providing affordable and accessible academic content to knowledge enthusiasts globally. 

Zendy: knowledge without barriers

In 2019, Zendy embarked on an ambitious journey to offer an alternative model of access to scholarly literature. The traditional pay-per-article model was and still is increasingly unattainable for individuals and researchers, especially in emerging regions where access is already limited. 

Looking at the success of the subscription market, namely products like Netflix and Spotify, Zendy founders thought why not offer the same experience for users to discover academic literature? Thus, Zendy was born. Zendy is an affordable academic library that offers unlimited access to journals, articles, e-books, proceedings, and more for the monthly price of a single research paper. 

With Zendy, students, researchers, and professionals can read, cite, and download leading research. The added benefit of Zendy is saving money, traditional models of access force individuals to pay between $15 – $40 per research paper. 

What does the future of academic access look like?

When asked about the future of Zendy and what’s next, Kamran Kardan spoke of Zendy mission which is to continue to reduce inequalities of access to knowledge. As a firm supporter of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Zendy (a product of Knowledge E), is working hard to reach new emerging regions. 

To strengthen its mission of creating a global knowledge economy without barriers, in October 2021, Zendy launched its free Open Access platform. Zendy Open features over 43 million free Open Access publications on one easy-to-use platform. 

With the support of leading publishers, Zendy’s growth is a collaborative effort, and the next 12 months will be defining for the company. In September 2022, Zendy launched in Nigeria and has since acquired over 7,000 from the booming African region. 

“We’re grateful to be recognised as a leading EduTech Startup in MENA and we’re inspired by the many other innovators in the industry who are using technology to make a positive impact in communities globally. The team is currently working on significant updates to the Zendy experience and we’re so excited to launch new features in Q1 2023. Day by day we inch closer to our mission of creating a world where everyone, everywhere can access knowledge without barriers,” said Zendy Co-founder Kamran Kardan. 

Click here to watch the full interview: https://bit.ly/3PcgxPB

The 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.

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UAE startup Zendy (a product of Knowledge E) recently spoke at the Middle East Thought Leadership Forum in London, an event spotlighting trailblazing innovations in the academic world. 

The Middle East Thought Leadership Forum in London is the second annual event by Gulf Conferences, a London-based education networking company. The event showcased the latest developments in education, empowering a hub of collaboration between the MENA region’s key drivers and the wider international community. 

Under the patronage of the secretary-general of the Association of Arab Universities, the Forum featured a host of attendees, including ministers of education and higher-education experts from various regions and institutions. 

CEO of Knowledge E and Zendy Co-Founder, Kamran Kardan, held a session on the global impact of knowledge and discussed Zendy’s pursuit of democratizing access to research and literature both in MENA and around the globe. Zendy offers a premium subscription in UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria. Zendy also offers a free open-access global platform.

Access to quality academic research helps governments, communities, and individuals thrive and innovate to create a better tomorrow. Zendy’s mission is to transform access to academic content globally, but right now we have a key focus on enriching the MENA region with a seamless digital platform enabling unlimited access to world-class journals, articles, e-books and more.” said CEO of Knowledge E and Zendy’s Co-Founder Kamran Kardan. 

In the wake of COVID-19, the Forum addressed key challenges in the education sector, including the fundamentals of knowledge development, information sharing, and the immense role of technology in facilitating an equitable learning experience.

To find out more about Zendy, visit: www.zendy.io. 

About Zendy

Zendy is a product of Knowledge E. Since its inception in 2019, Zendy has introduced thousands of users in MENA to a knowledge experience like no other. Zendy’s intuitive digital library features millions of journals, articles, e-books, and magazines, allowing users to access unlimited content for an affordable monthly price. Zendy also offers a global knowledge solution with a free open-access platform. 

Press contact: 

Monica Chinsami 

Marketing Manager

m.chinsami@zendy.io