Knihobot / Bookbot

The problem

Most unwanted books have no economic path back into circulation. They are stored, given away or pulped, while the same titles are printed again.

The solution

Knihobot collects books from households at scale, then photographs, catalogues and prices them automatically, resells them online and pays the original owner a share. The innovation is the logistics layer: drop-off points inside Thalia stores in Vienna, courier pickup in Vienna and Berlin.

What is distinctive

Circularity approached as a supply-chain and pricing problem rather than as a marketplace listing – which is why it scales where classifieds do not.

Evidence

• Founded 2019 in Prague; trades as Bookbot in Austria (from summer 2023) and Germany (from autumn 2023).
• €4 million Series A in August 2024, led by Genesis Growth Equity Fund I with Miton.
• More than 5 million books sold since launch, of which 750,000 handled in the DACH market.

Compiled from public sources, August 2026. Not yet reviewed by the organisation.