BookRenter
Former online textbook rental company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
BookRenter was an American online textbook rental company based in San Mateo, California.[1] It was founded in 2006 and was acquired by eCampus.com in 2016.
Online retailing
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Education Online retailing |
| Founded | 2006 in Silicon Valley, California, US |
| Defunct | 2016 |
| Fate | Acquired by eCampus.com |
| Headquarters | |
| Products | Online textbook rental eTextbooks |
History
BookRenter was founded as an online textbook rental service in 2006. Colin Barceloux founded the company as a startup in Silicon Valley.[2][3] Barceloux worked with two engineer majors, Chris Williams and Philippe Huibonhoa to create the website. The company partnered with college bookstores by setting up a virtual rental store on their own websites.[4] In 2010, it reportedly served 6 million students on over 5,000 campuses in the US.[5]
In 2009, Mehdi Maghsoodnia became CEO of the company, replacing Colin Barceloux.[6] In 2010, Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph joined the board of directors.[7]
As of 2011, the company had raised $60 million in funding.[8][9]
It was the recipient of About.com’s 2012 Reader Choice Award for "Best Site for Renting Textbooks".[10]
In 2014, BookRenter partnered with Staples to expand its textbook rental service delivered through Staples.com. [11]
In May 2017, the company was acquired by eCampus.com.[12][13]