By Riley Kaminer
When Yehuda Niv first wrote a manuscript as a student at Ben-Gurion University, he quickly abandoned the dream of publishing it. The process seemed overly complicated and opaque – a barrier many aspiring authors face.
Years later, that frustration would become the catalyst for Spines, a Boynton Beach-based startup aiming to reimagine publishing through artificial intelligence.
Spines has just announced a $16 million Series A round led by Zeev Ventures. The funding will help Spines scale its operations and expand its offerings, including a move into audiobooks. This milestone follows a $6.5 million seed round in April 2024.
Before Spines, Niv founded Niv Books, a publishing house that utilized tech-driven processes to release over 1,200 titles annually. While successful, Niv recognized that even his operation couldn’t match the scalability and precision of AI. Spines was born out of that realization, blending years of publishing experience with cutting-edge technology.
“This is an American company, not an Israeli one. It’s a different approach,” Niv told TechCrunch, underscoring the startup’s ambition to take its innovation to a global stage.
This global ambition caught the attention of Oren Zeev, founder of Zeev Ventures and a veteran investor who previously backed Audible. For Zeev, Spines represents a new frontier in publishing.
“Back in 2003, I saw the untapped potential of audiobooks with Audible,” Zeev commented. “Today, I see a similar transformative power in Spines to reshape the book publishing industry.”
The publishing industry is no stranger to disruption. Spines enters a competitive space filled with players like Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, Wattpad, and AI-focused newcomers such as publishing.ai. Still, Spines aims to differentiate itself by combining speed, affordability, and a comprehensive suite of services that cater to both aspiring and experienced authors.
Spines’ rapid growth – 1,700 books published since 2021 and revenues increasing by 1,000% – suggests it’s tapping into a real demand. Popular titles span diverse genres, from memoirs and motivational guides to children’s books written by authors with extraordinary backstories.
With fresh funding in hand, Spines is preparing to broaden its scope. Audiobooks are a natural next step, leveraging Zeev’s experience with Audible to explore a booming market. The team is also focusing on refining its AI and expanding its customer base beyond the U.S.
For now, the company seems focused on its mission of removing barriers for authors. “The opportunity is huge,” Niv said.
Photo at top of post: Left to right, Spines co-founders Lev David (CMO), Yehuda Niv (CEO), Niv Ovdat (COO) and Nir Kenner (CTO).
READ MORE IN REFRESH MIAMI:
- Spines raises $6.5M to forge the future of book publishing
- Business books bring techy energy to the 2024 Miami Book Fair
- Humanz expands to US through Miami, bringing transparency to influencer marketing
- English For IT is helping immigrants break into tech and thrive stateside
- Grip is taking the guesswork out of shipping the cold stuff - September 15, 2026
- Joe Russo helped build Palm Beach Tech. Now he’s building from it. - September 14, 2026
- Koywe’s answer to slow international payments started with a lifelong friendship - September 9, 2026