Sharjah Book Authority Invests in AI Publishing Firm KlooBR to Bring It Into Arab Markets

The investment comes through the Sharjah Publishing Sustainability Fund, known as Onshur, whose technology track KlooBR won at the opening of the 16th Sharjah International Publishers Conference, where it was honoured by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, chairperson of the authority. The track drew 94 applications from technology companies in 17 countries, and selection involved long and short lists, interviews and due diligence, according to the state news agency WAM. The size of the investment was not disclosed.

The deal is a small test of whether a public fund set up for an old industry can draw AI companies to build products for Arabic-language publishing. Onshur was announced by Sheikha Bodour in March 2024 as a Dh10 million fund to support the publishing sector.

KlooBR's platform covers content analysis, editing, proofreading, translation and conversion of books into electronic formats, aimed at simplifying how publishers and authors prepare titles for release. Founder and chief executive Ricardo Almeida said the company began offering AI services for publishing about two years ago and recently launched them as a standalone platform under a new brand, as it moves those operations to Sharjah. He said the company has a presence in Brazil, Spain, Portugal and Germany, and that the support gives it its first entry into the Arab market.

Iman bin Shaiba, director of strategic initiatives and global markets at the authority, said the company was chosen for its parent company's 18 years in publishing technology and its understanding of what publishers need. She said it has recorded more than 2,000 paid transactions from its existing customer base since starting the services.

Beyond the money, the authority said it is introducing KlooBR to the Emirates Publishers Association, arranging meetings with Arab publishers and encouraging them to try its services during the Sharjah International Book Fair.