I
nkling, a startup that debuted two weeks ago with an iPad app and first-round funding of an undisclosed amount from mighty Sequoia Capital, offers a compelling glimpse into a crystal ball.
Textbooks, as we have known them, are dinosaurs stumbling toward extinction. Inkling, which is based in San Francisco and has already struck deals with publishers Cengage Learning and McGraw-Hill to add interactive content, aims to usher in a new era in which college students will tote virtual libraries on tablet computers and laptops, with the usual text enhanced by videos, 3-D displays, quizzes and social interaction.
Aydin Senkut, an ex-Googler, had an inkling about Inkling while he was making a mint on Mint, the online personal finance startup that Intuit acquired last September for $170 million. Tablet computers were largely a rumor when Senkut invested in Inkling founders Matthew MacInnis, Robert Cromwell and Josh Foreman, impressed by their vision for reinventing the textbook from scratch.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Harris: Amid venture capital industry shakeout, some angel investors turn 'pro' - San Jose Mercury News
Author: Scott Duke Harris
