AMMAN — This
week, Jordanian subscription service
Wajeez closed a $3 million funding round.
The startup distills best-selling books from around the world into
15-minute-long Arabic audio summaries.
اضافة اعلان
Speaking to
Jordan News about the inspiration behind Wajeez, founder Mohammad Zatara said
that “the new (generation) does not have time like before, like (young people)
did seven or ten years ago.”
Before founding
Wajeez, Zatara spent seven years at a start-up called Faylasof — a MENA-based
online bookstore. His time selling physical books inspired him to start Wajeez.
“I decided to
keep the same role but try to (summarize) English and Arabic books so that you
could read or listen to them in fifteen minutes.”
Wajeez’s soft
launch took place in January of 2020, but the official launch took place almost
a year later.
Zatara explained
that Wajeez focuses primarily on non-fiction books, adding that
self-improvement and business books tend to be the most read. There are over
2,500 books currently available on the platform.
“We have an
algorithm that helps us (choose) books … like if they have good rating, if the
author is famous, when the book was published, how many people bought it, if
it's best-selling on Amazon or Goodreads; we have an algorithm that calculates
this information.”
“We have a
threshold of 8 out of 10. If the book gets 8 or above, we choose it,” he
continued.
Zatara laid out
the seven-step process of summarization that takes place after a book is
selected.
“We have a long
process of summarization, just to ensure the quality.”
This starts with
writing — a process through which writers summarize the book in bullet points.
The second part invites in creative writers who rewrite the summary in an
“exciting way.”
“Sometimes when
you read a book you get bored … some sentences don’t give you an exciting
feeling,” Zatara explained.
After the
creative writers, proofreaders ensure that the most important aspects of the book
have been covered. Then comes language and audio checks, followed by narration
and publication.
Zatara noted that
Wajeez’s current target audience is working adults.
“In the Arab
world, (around) 40 percent of the population is between the ages of 18 and 28.
It’s a good mass-market potential for us.” So far, the app has amassed over
800,000 users to its time-saving summaries.
Currently, Wajeez
has more than 500 “direct and indirect” jobs, with more than 50 full-time
employees working in Jordan.
“Our team is made
up of seven nationalities, but we are trying to focus on Jordan.”
“Today, Jordan is a hub of many creative people
and we have very huge potential. Jordan (can) become the hub of startups in the
next few years … we have the human capital,” he added.
“The plan for the
future is to expand into other languages … to focus on the product and make
sure people spend time on it and use it, and that the product is going on the
right track.”
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