Can One Simple Idea Transform Education? Frustrated with overpriced textbooks, Gauthier Van Malderen asked a game-changing question: Why isn't there a Netflix for textbooks?

The answer became London based Perlego — a platform that's reshaping how students access learning resources. Gauthier Van Malderen's journey from frustrated university student to CEO of Perlego started with a simple observation: traditional textbooks were outdated, expensive, and inefficient. Today, his digital platform is partnering with thousands of publishers to make education more accessible, affordable, and sustainable worldwide.

What inspired you to start your business?
During my university years, I was spending over £300 annually on bulky, outdated textbooks that I often barely used - it felt frustrating and wasteful. Around that time, I was using subscription services like Spotify and Netflix, and I wondered: why isn't there a similar model for textbooks? That simple question became the foundation for Perlego. My goal was to create a platform that made learning resources more accessible, affordable, and sustainable for students and academics worldwide.

What was your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?
One of our earliest challenges was navigating the concerns of publishers, who were losing significant revenue due to piracy and the secondhand textbook market. While we aimed to create a platform that would benefit students, we also wanted to support the publishing industry by offering a sustainable alternative. At the same time, we faced the classic chicken-and-egg scenario: publishers needed evidence of a growing audience to justify joining Perlego, while users were drawn to the platform only if it had a broad library of resources. To address this, we focused on cultivating partnerships with a select group of forward-thinking publishers who shared our vision.

By demonstrating how Perlego could help publishers capture lost revenue and create new opportunities in the digital space, we built trust and credibility. Their early support enabled us to attract a core audience of users, creating the momentum needed to scale. It took time, persistence, and a clear value proposition, but we bridged the gap by aligning the needs of both students and publishers. Today, we're proud to partner with thousands of publishers, helping drive sustainable growth for the industry while making education more accessible.

How did you secure your initial funding?
Our first funding round in 2017 relied on connecting with the right people who believed in the vision behind Perlego. We initially raised £1 million from angel investors, including Simon Franks (co-founder of Lovefilm) and Alex Chesterman (founder of Zoopla). Their belief in our mission and support were crucial in laying the groundwork for what was to come.

In 2018, we closed a $4.8 million round led by Accelerated Digital Ventures (ADV), with participation from additional key angels, including Peter Hinssen. This round was a significant milestone, as their endorsement of our business model didn't just provide the capital we needed but also helped us establish credibility and attract further investors. The pitch was straightforward: we highlighted the inefficiencies in the traditional textbook market and how Perlego was uniquely positioned to offer an innovative and sustainable solution.

Most recently, we raised $20 million, backed by investors including Sir Terry Leahy, the former CEO of Tesco. Each step of our funding journey has been about demonstrating our vision, impact, and potential to create meaningful change in the education space.

What advice would you give to someone starting their own business?
Resilience is one of the most essential qualities for any founder. Startups are filled with challenges, setbacks, and unexpected changes - that's simply part of the journey. The key is to view failures as opportunities to learn rather than reasons to be discouraged. My advice? Don't be afraid to make mistakes, as long as they're low-cost ones. Every misstep can become a stepping stone if you take the time to reflect, understand what went wrong, and make the necessary improvements.

How do you stay motivated during tough times?
Staying motivated during challenging times comes down to having a clear sense of purpose. At Perlego, our mission to make educational content more accessible and affordable is at the heart of everything we do. This mission is more than just a guiding principle - it's a source of inspiration. Knowing that our work can genuinely make a difference in students' lives keeps me and the team focused, even when the going gets tough. It reminds us why we started and what we're striving to achieve.

Additionally, I find motivation in the support of our team and the feedback from our users. Seeing students and academics benefit from Perlego reaffirms that the effort is worth it.

Share your tips for achieving success.....
Success is all about resilience. Startups are full of ups and downs, and the ability to keep going, even when things don't go as planned, is critical. It's about learning from setbacks and always moving forward. Another key tip is focusing on your customers. I've seen a lot of startups lose sight of this, but ultimately, it's all about building something that people truly love. Listen to your users, understand their needs, and create value for them. That's how you build a product - and a business - that lasts.