How BibliU became market leader and one of the fastest-growing start-ups in the UK
Natalia Slota
January 29, 2026
Client: BibliU
Industry:
EdTech
Target market:
Higher education leaders
Timeline:
26 months
Scope:
Full marketing function leadership, ABM strategy, executive events, content, sales enablement, measurement
Overview
BibliU had product–market fit and real demand, but growth efforts were scattered. Multiple agencies, mixed tactics, and long university cycles made wins hard to repeat. Our goal was to unify the plan, align the account based marketing strategy, speak in the right way to each university stakeholder, and build a steady path from first touch to signed program. That’s why, for this project, we combined our expertise in B2B content strategy, ABM, and B2B demand generation.
The client
BibliU is a high-growth EdTech start-up that delivers digital textbooks to universities and students. Backed by $41.6M, active in the UK and US, serving higher-education leaders across academics, procurement, IT, and libraries.
BibliU came to us when the product was landing, but the go-to-market wasn’t tight enough to scale. Universities take time, involve many people, and you can’t “campaign” your way through that. They needed one partner to run marketing end-to-end, build an ABM approach for a named list of universities, create role-specific content and sales tools, and keep deals warm through executive events.
If you’re looking for a partner who gets B2B growth and brings the full marketing
toolkit to the table – this is a smart choice.
The challenge
University decisions take time and involve many voices. As a start-up selling into large institutions, BibliU had a loved product, but marketing was hard to measure.
One plan, many owners. Tactics lived across vendors with no shared strategy or clean attribution.
Complex sales cycles. 9–18 months with academics, procurement, IT, and student reps at the table.
Entrenched incumbents. Long relationships and legacy pricing models set the default choice.
They wanted an experienced 2B2 marketing agency who understood start-up growth in complex markets. A partner to create the plan, build role-fit stories, and create steady touchpoints.
Our timeline
Q1–Q2 2021
Q2 2021–Q1 2022
2022–Q1 2023
Make the plan
Bring the right people
Scale what works
One plan and one list: 40+ target universities
20+ virtual and in-person events across the UK
Extend winning UK plays to support Series B
Role-specific messaging for academics, procurement, and IT
Coventry flagship e-textbook rollout (£1M+)
Continuous tweaks from real engagement
A clear account-based marketing model treating each university as its own account
Executive roundtables as ongoing thought leadership
A repeatable B2B demand generation rhythm
How we built a coordinated growth engine in higher education
Step 1: Marketing consolidation and strategy
What we did
Put all work under one plan, made a clean list of target universities, named owners, and wrote simple messages for academics, procurement, and IT. Fixed tracking, added clear tracking links, and connected activities to real meetings and deals.
Why we did it
When work is scattered, you cannot tell what helps. One plan and clear owners turn effort into progress. When each group hears the offer in their own words, the right doors open.
Insights we used
Account-based: Treat each university like its own market with its own plan and proof.
Positioning: Show side-by-side how this beats the old way so the value is obvious.
Step 2: Executive community building
What we did
Ran round-tables and events where leaders learned from peers, not slides. Set a light referral loop so happy customers could introduce us. This created a real community around the product.
Why we did it
Universities act when they see peers succeed. Peer conversations build trust better than brochures. A clear example like Coventry gives the next university something real to copy, while friendly introductions keep momentum between meetings.
Insights we used
Executive community: Create spaces where decision makers compare notes and invite others in.
Positioning: Use live results to show savings and student impact in plain terms.
Step 3: Scale and optimisation
What we did
Took the winning plays to more accounts and showed results to support the Series B. Added simple, role-based follow-ups for long decisions. Tracked reading, replies, and meeting rates, then tightened messages and formats.
Why we did it
Long decisions need steady contact. Short, regular touches keep relationships warm. Watching where deals slow down and where they move lets us fix weak spots. Over time, this becomes a simple, repeatable
B2B demand generation
engine for higher education.
Insights we used
Long-term relationships: Plan for 12–18 month cycles and never let the thread go cold.
Account-based: Scale the plays that fit each university instead of blasting the same campaign at everyone.
The results
Higher education doesn’t reward loud marketing. It rewards certainty. So our job as BibliU’s B2B marketing partner was to turn momentum into a repeatable playbook. Align the message across roles, create trust fast, and keep the thread alive across long cycles without turning into noise. The results below show the impact across market position, marketing performance, and brand pull.
Market share
UK higher-education market share
40%
Customer acquisition (YoY)
+37%
FT Europe ranking (2023)
#11
Coventry flagship program
£1M+
Series B funding during engagement
$15M
Highlight
Proof-led GTM that scaled across universities.
Why this matters for the business
With 40% market share, BibliU is not “a promising start-up” any more. It’s a category reference point. That changes everything about the first conversation. You’re no longer convincing people you’re credible; you’re helping them justify why they should not choose you. Coventry becomes the anchor story that travels. One university proves it can work, and suddenly other universities have a template they can copy with less risk.
In 2023, BibliU was recognised in the Financial Times’ FT 1000 ranking of Europe’s fastest-growing companies (#30 in Europe; #11 in the UK). Since then, BibliU has continued to scale and has now surpassed $100m+ in ARR, strengthening its position as a category reference point in higher education. Add a top-tier growth ranking plus a $15M Series B and the decision gets easier again. This signals stability and the ability to support institutions long after the contract is signed.
Marketing performance
Annual marketing budget
$1M
Marketing ROI
2.9x
Deals influenced by marketing
85%
Qualified pipeline
+280%
Roundtable attendance rate
78%
Why this matters for the business
University deals are slow, political, and multi-stakeholder. Which means marketing cannot be a “top-of-funnel function”. It has to operate inside the deal. 85% influenced means marketing showed up where decisions actually get made. Content gave academics language. Proof gave procurement cover. Messaging helped IT say yes without fear. Events created a reason to re-enter the conversation without sounding desperate. And +280% qualified pipeline is what happens when the system is built to match the buying reality. Fewer random conversations. More accounts moving with intent. Sales stops chasing. Sales starts progressing.
Brand and retention
Media features outlets
15+
Major conference speaking slots
8
Events organised
19
Why this matters for the business
This is what brand strategy looks like when it’s doing its job. Media and speaking slots create familiarity before outreach begins, so meetings start warmer and faster. And 19 events is not “activity”. It’s controlled access to the rooms where higher education leaders compare notes and copy what feels safe. Over time, that turns into something start-ups rarely get early: reputation that travels ahead of you. That’s the compounding effect of consistent B2B content marketing and a brand story with a point of view, not just a tagline.
Stop leaving demand on the table
If buyers are searching for what you do and you’re not getting the clicks,
we’ll show you where it leaks and how to fix it.
Account based marketing (ABM) for start-ups is a way to focus your limited resources on a short list of high-value accounts instead of the whole market. You choose your “dream” customers, map the key people inside each one, and plan specific touch-points, content, and meetings for those accounts.
A start-up should invest in ABM when a few big customers would change the whole business. It works best if your deals are high-value, sales cycles are long, and the same 20–100 accounts keep showing up on your wish list – especially in higher ed, healthcare, or enterprise.
B2B content marketing helps start-ups win large customers by answering real questions for each person in the buying group. Clear case studies, one-pagers, and webinars give champions inside the account proof they can share, which reduces risk and moves big organisations closer to “yes.”
A start-up measures marketing ROI with long sales cycles by tracking revenue and pipeline, not just clicks. A simple version of the formula is: Marketing ROI = (Sales growth − Marketing cost) ÷ Marketing cost. You can also look at pipeline ROI: Pipeline ROI = (Pipeline influenced − Marketing investment) ÷ Marketing investment. On top of that, track metrics like CAC (customer acquisition cost), CLV (customer lifetime value), and the number of marketing-influenced opportunities to see which campaigns actually help create and close deals.
For most start-ups, the best ABM channels are targeted email, LinkedIn (organic and ads), small events or roundtables, and well-timed sales outreach. You don’t need ten channels; you need a few places where your ideal buyers actually spend time, plus content and follow-ups that feel tailored.
A B2B marketing agency or growth partner helps a start-up turn early traction into a structured growth plan. In practice, they build the target account list, shape messages for each role, run ABM and demand gen campaigns and report on what actually leads to meetings and signed deals.
%20(5).png)
.png)
