Evolusent, a Toronto-based company focused on technology, content and e-commerce services, has launched Turnit.com, an online site initially focused on magazine content that is looking to expand its platform to book publishers. A “freemium” platform that does not charge its publisher-clients, Turnit.com is looking attract small publishers and self-publishers, who can upload content to the site to sell or to give away free to their consumers.
In addition to a freemium-based online platform optimized for HTML5 mobile browsers, Turnit plans to release its own iPad app in the next 30 days. Founded by Kaleem Ahmad, Evolusent is the parent company of a variety of firms offering an array of digital services and content, including magazines (the company owns five magazines, among them Lifestyler.com); web development (WebImpact.com) and e-learning (InsightU).
Evolusent has about 100 employees overall and is about to open a San Francisco office. In an phone interview with Ahmad, he said the company launched Turnit.com to be “a content portal for high quality content creators.”
Turnit.com is part of what he called an integrated approach to online services offered by Evolusent, which started out as a technology company. “About 4 years we expanded into the media business and acquired a portfolio of magazines. But all the digital platforms we looked at for presenting content were proprietary and cost a lot to use, so we decided to build our own, ” he said. “We maintain our own cloud and content capability,” he said, in addition to developing apps through its Web Impact subsidiary.
Pointing to Amazon.com’s recent launch of an HTML5 web browser, Ahmad said his company has been offering a similiar “Cloud Browser” for over a year. He said Evolusent’s content sites have long been optimized for mobile cloud browsers and he predicted a future in which consumers “read on a browser online or with a native app.”
Using Turnit.com, “Publishers can upload books, magazines, comics, illustrated works, any printed content,” said Ahmad. There is no charge to publishers no matter if they are selling or giving content away. Ahmad said that Turnit vets content to eliminate illegal or inappropriate material and the site also offers an advertising infrastructure with a login for clients. Ahmad said the company is in negotiations with a book publisher “to offer several hundred book titles,” through Turnit.com.
But he said he is particularly interested in attracting small publishers and self-publishers. “You can’t beat free,” Ahmad said, “We’re a great platform to help small publishers who need to compete in this online marketplace.”
