eLibro
eLibro is a private digital academic library platform serving 3,500+ universities, libraries, and institutions across 24+ Spanish-speaking and other countries, delivering 220,000+ titles from 570+ publishers via subscription, with mobile access and an emerging AI services unit.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersNorth Miami Beach, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What eLibro does
eLibro Corporation is a private digital academic library platform founded in 1999 and headquartered in Aventura, Florida (Miami area), with sales operations in Miami and Madrid. The company aggregates 220,000+ academic titles from 570-800+ publishers across Spanish, English, and Portuguese into a web and mobile (iOS/Android) platform accessible to subscribing institutions through simultaneous multi-user access, 30-day renewable digital loans, offline reading, MARC records, and SSO/LMS integrations (SAML, Shibboleth, OpenAthens, Ezproxy, LTI, OpenURL). The product portfolio is organized into five content collections (Cátedra, Secundaria, English, Investigaciones, and the Bibliotele audiovisual platform accessible on smart TV and Apple Vision Pro) plus a feature stack that includes an in-reader AI assistant (eLi), AI-powered translation, text-to-speech, and automatic bibliographic citation.
Revenue is generated exclusively through institutional subscriptions sold via a network of country representatives in 24+ countries (Latin America, Spain, USA, Germany, Equatorial Guinea), with no direct-to-consumer channel. Pricing is quote-based and annually billed. A secondary revenue line, the Unidad iIA (AI Innovation Unit), monetizes AI services through free introductory micro-courses, paid specialized courses (US$56-$140 per participant), and AI implementation consulting engagements starting at US$2,800 across four modalities (4-week sprints to 12-month programs). The company has approximately 11-50 employees — including named leaders Eduardo Varela-Cid (Founder/CEO), María Varela-Cid (CFO), David Padilla (COO), and Douglas Ortega (CTO) — and operates as a founder-owned private company with no disclosed institutional funding. eLibro reports 3,500+ institutional customers and 7+ million active users across its 24-country footprint.
eLibro firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- eLibro
- Legal name
- eLibro Corporation
- Website
- https://elibro.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- eLibro is a private digital academic library platform serving 3,500+ universities, libraries, and institutions across 24+ Spanish-speaking and other countries, delivering 220,000+ titles from 570+ publishers via subscription, with mobile access and an emerging AI services unit.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
eLibro industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Academic Library Platform
- NAICS
- Libraries and Archives (51921), Software Publishers (5132), Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Educational Services (8200), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Library & Electronic Resources Operations (e-Resources, Repositories, Licensing) (EDAEAGAF)
Keywords
Where eLibro is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- North Miami Beach
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
eLibro business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Institutional Subscriptions: eLibro operates exclusively through institutional subscriptions. Academic institutions, libraries, and research centers subscribe to access the digital library. Access is managed via country representatives who provide tailored quotes based on institutional needs, collections subscribed, and user count. No direct consumer sales.
- iIA AI Services — Specialized Courses: Fee-for-service training courses on AI for libraries. Specialized courses range from US$56 to US$140 per participant, with group discounts available. Revenue recognized per participant enrolled.
- iIA AI Implementation Consulting: Custom AI implementation consulting for libraries, with pricing starting from US$2,800 for implementations covering up to 50 people. Four modalities ranging from 4–6 week sprints to 9–12 month programs. Full knowledge transfer model.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Institutional subscription — custom quote |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | iIA Micro Courses — Free |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | iIA Specialized Courses — from US$56 per person |
| Other | Multi-year contract | iIA AI Implementation — from US$2,800 |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
eLibro product offering
Product offeringCore offering
eLibro operates an institutional-subscription digital academic library platform providing simultaneous multi-user access to 220,000+ academic titles from 570+ publishers in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. The platform is accessible via web and native iOS/Android apps, with offline reading, AI-powered reading assistance (eLi), and supporting library systems integration (MARC, LTI, SAML, OpenURL). The company also operates a dedicated AI Innovation Unit (iIA) offering training courses and AI implementation services for libraries.
Product overview
eLibro is a digital academic library platform designed for educational institutions, libraries, and research centers. The platform operates on an institutional subscription model offering simultaneous multi-user access to academic content. The product portfolio includes the core eLibro platform, mobile app (Lector eLibro), five themed content collections (Cátedra with 160K+ titles, Secundaria, English, Investigaciones, and Bibliotele for audiovisual content), and the AI Innovation Unit (Unidad iIA) providing free micro-courses, paid specialized courses, and AI implementation consulting services. The platform integrates AI features including the eLi assistant for content queries, text-to-speech audio, and translation. Content spans 800+ publishers in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, serving 3,500+ institutions across Latin America, Spain, and non-Spanish-speaking countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Bibliotele: Digital audiovisual platform for academic libraries featuring Spanish-language films, series, documentaries, and theater content. Accessible at bibliotele.com.
- Unidad iIA
- eLi
Products and services
- eLibro Platform (Biblioteca Digital Académica) Core digital academic library platform offering institutional subscriptions for simultaneous multi-user access to 220,000+ academic publications from 570+ publishers in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. Accessible via web browser or dedicated mobile app with online/offline reading and automatic device synchronization. Targeted at academic institutions, libraries, and research centers.
- Lector eLibro Mobile App Free native mobile application for iOS and Android enabling offline reading with book loans downloaded for 30 days with unlimited renewal. Synchronizes reading progress, annotations, and bookmarks across devices. For institutional users (students, faculty, researchers) at subscribing libraries.
- Colección Cátedra Core academic content collection with 160,000+ books from 500+ publishers, adding 800+ new titles monthly. Organized into 14 thematic collections covering all academic disciplines. Features include partial downloads, 30-day digital loans, and content sharing among institutional users. For higher education institutions and universities.
- Colección Secundaria
Quantifiable outcome
- 220,000+ academic titles available across 14 subject collections
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use eLibro
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
eLibro technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration16 records
AI capability13 records
Feature9 records
eLibro partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- REBIUN (Red de Bibliotecas Universitarias)flagshipPrincipal sponsor of the XXXIII REBIUN Annual Conference and XXI Workshop on Digital Projects, May 2026, at Campus de Albacete (UCLM), Spain. Also incorporating Planeta and Anaya editorial content. Active involvement in presenting eLibro's present and future, with focus on AI as an ally for university libraries.
- PearsoncoreStrategic alliance between eLibro and Pearson to expand academic resources available to subscribing libraries. Francisco Ortega represented Pearson at eLibro Paraguay 2025 event, discussing the relevance of specialized bibliography and the partnership's role in expanding library resources.
- LVI Journadas Mexicanas de BiblioteconomíacoreeLibro was a sponsor of the 56th Mexican Library Science Conference held in Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexico. Key professional event for the Mexican librarian community.
- Universidad AAUCA (Guinea Ecuatorial)flagshipFirst university in Africa to subscribe to eLibro's digital library, marking eLibro's entry into the African continent. Managed through representative Mariano Ureta (Spain and Africa). Represents the first digital library deployment in Africa for the company.
- WileycoreWiley is a key publisher in the eLibro English collection, contributing 8,618 academic titles covering Architecture, Sciences, Computing, Education, and Medicine. Wiley is a world leader in research and education with over 200 years of history.
- Wolters Kluwer HealthcorePublisher in eLibro English collection with 1,829 available publications covering clinical decision support, drug information, clinical documentation, nursing, and medical research.
- Cambridge Scholars PublishingcoreIndependent academic publisher founded by former Cambridge University professors and researchers. Contributes 8,432 titles in Humanities, Social Sciences, Health Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Life Sciences to the eLibro English collection.
- SAGE PublishingcoreGlobal academic publisher contributing 1,906 titles to the eLibro English collection, covering Social Sciences, Humanities, Health and Biomedicine, Engineering, and Computing. Produces more than 1,000 journals and 900 new books annually globally.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights6 records
eLibro competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Odilo: Odilo is a digital library platform providing ebooks, audiobooks, and other content to public and academic libraries globally, including significant presence in Spain and Latin America. Directly comparable to eLibro in serving Spanish-speaking institutional clients with subscription-based unlimited-access models.
- ProQuest (Clarivate): ProQuest, now part of Clarivate, is a leading provider of academic ebooks, journals, and dissertations to university libraries worldwide. Directly comparable to eLibro in serving institutional subscriptions of full-text academic content, though at a vastly larger scale and with English-first content orientation.
- JSTOR: JSTOR operates one of the largest digital academic library platforms, providing access to scholarly journals, books, and primary sources to academic institutions. Comparable to eLibro in target customer (academic libraries), institutional subscription model, and content aggregation approach.
- Digitalia: Digitalia is a digital content aggregator distributing Spanish-language ebooks and academic content to libraries in Spain, Latin America and the US. Closely comparable to eLibro in language focus, publisher aggregation model, and institutional subscription GTM.
- EBSCO Information Services: EBSCO provides academic ebook and database subscriptions to libraries and schools globally. Closely comparable to eLibro in business model (institutional subscription sales through field representatives) and target buyer (academic and K-12 libraries).
Emerging players
- Scribd: Scribd operates a subscription-based digital reading platform with ebooks, audiobooks, and academic content. Comparable to eLibro in subscription access to a broad ebook catalog, but operates as a B2C consumer platform with broader (non-academic) content focus.
- Perlego: Perlego is an online academic and professional ebook subscription service targeting students and professionals globally. Comparable to eLibro in offering unlimited access to a large academic ebook catalog on subscription, though primarily B2C/individual rather than institutional.
Regional players
- Redalyc: Redalyc is a Latin American open-access scientific journal system indexing journals primarily from Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. Adjacent to eLibro in serving the Spanish-speaking academic research community with a regional focus, though differs in its open-access non-subscription model.
- SciELO: SciELO is a cooperative digital library of open-access scholarly journals primarily from Latin America, Spain, and Portugal. Comparable to eLibro in serving the Spanish/Portuguese-speaking academic research community, but operates as open access rather than subscription-based.
Broad incumbents
- Gale (Cengage): Gale, part of Cengage, is a major academic publisher and provider of digital research databases, ebooks, and learning resources to libraries. Comparable to eLibro in serving academic institutions with subscription digital content, though as a broader incumbent across many content categories beyond Spanish-language.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
eLibro social profiles
Digital presenceeLibro compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
eLibro financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
eLibro leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
eLibro subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
eLibro funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
eLibro M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about eLibro
What does eLibro do?
eLibro operates an institutional-subscription digital academic library platform providing simultaneous multi-user access to 220,000+ academic titles from 570+ publishers in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. The platform is accessible via web and native iOS/Android apps, with offline reading, AI-powered reading assistance (eLi), and supporting library systems integration (MARC, LTI, SAML, OpenURL). The company also operates a dedicated AI Innovation Unit (iIA) offering training courses and AI implementation services for libraries.
Is eLibro a public or private company?
eLibro is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was eLibro founded?
eLibro was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is eLibro based?
eLibro is headquartered in North Miami Beach, United States, in the North America region.
How does eLibro make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Institutional Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are iIA AI Services — Specialized Courses and iIA AI Implementation Consulting.
Who are eLibro's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Odilo, ProQuest (Clarivate), JSTOR, Digitalia and EBSCO Information Services. Emerging players are Scribd and Perlego. Regional players are Redalyc and SciELO. Gale (Cengage) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does eLibro have an API?
No public API is recorded for eLibro.
What industry is eLibro in?
eLibro's product category is Digital Academic Library Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAEAGAF, Digital Library & Electronic Resources Operations (e-Resources, Repositories, Licensing). Its NAICS code is 51921 and its SIC code is 7372.