The startup is currently building its MVP, assembling its founding team, and raising a seed round to accelerate development and acquire manuscripts, says the studio.

VentureBooks OS was born from a simple question: How can thousands of promising African manuscripts be published faster and more affordably than traditional methods, while populating African bookshelves with locally authored stories?

VentureBooks OS aims to transform how African stories are discovered, produced and owned, adds the studio.

"At least sixty percent of books sold in African bookstores are not authored by Africans," says Product Developer Tiisetso Maloma. "That's both the problem and the opportunity we're tackling — reshaping ownership, representation and the value of African storytelling."

Most books on African shelves are imported, catering primarily to middle-class readers. Millions of Africans remain unserved because they can't see themselves reflected in these stories. After more than a decade in publishing, Maloma and his team have identified thousands of high-traction manuscripts across the continent — stories that already attract strong reader engagement through excerpts shared online and in offline communities. Yet, limited financing and fragmented infrastructure have kept these works from reaching the market, says the studio.

VentureBooks OS integrates proprietary manuscript discovery, AI-powered publishing and scalable distribution infrastructure to publish and monetise African creativity globally. The platform's goal is to publish and Co-Own over 10 000 manuscripts in the next five to seven years — some of which will evolve into film, television and digital adaptations. The OS will also be open to external authors and publishers, enabling them to publish, distribute and monetise their own IP at scale, turning African storytelling into a new digital asset class, adds the studio.

Through Bula Buka Publishers, Maloma angel-invested in books and pioneered the Diary Chronicles genre — with hit titles such as Diary of a Zulu Girl and Diary of a Cheating Wife. These stories began online, went viral, and proved that Africans crave narratives written in their own image. Coined alongside journalist Lesedi Setlhodi, the term "Diary Chronicle" refers to diary-style fiction that blends personal confessions, cliffhangers and socially resonant storytelling, says the studio.

VentureBooks OS is the first startup to emerge from Startup Picnic Venture Studio, which evolved from Startup Picnic, the well-known Johannesburg movement that hosted outdoor networking events for entrepreneurs. "Startup Picnic was about connecting entrepreneurs," says Maloma. "Now it's about building with them. We're turning Africa's creative energy into structured, scalable and investable ventures."

"Think Spotify, Palantir and Disney — but for African IP," Maloma adds. "We're reimagining the publishing value chain — faster, cheaper and more inclusive. Once proven in Africa, this model can scale to other emerging markets."

Maloma concludes, "The future of AI depends on proprietary data — and in storytelling, that data is intellectual property. VentureBooks OS positions African stories at the center of this global data economy."

As it builds its MVP, VentureBooks OS is inviting collaborators, investors and partners to join its mission to publish thousands of authentic African stories and turn them into global digital assets — books, films, games and merchandise, concludes the studio.

*Image courtesy of contributor