Rafter

Fragmented sourcing and high costs for course materials like textbooks, complicated by offline discovery, rights access, fulfillment, and lack of data on adoption patterns and pricing.

Cloud-based network for content discovery, supply, distribution, pricing, and commerce, with tools for faculty adoption, student access, and bookstore management.

Rafter aimed to solve the fragmented and costly process of sourcing course materials like textbooks for college administrators, professors, and students. The platform sought to address the complexities of offline discovery, rights management, fulfillment logistics, and the lack of data-driven insights into adoption rates and pricing strategies within the academic content landscape. Rafter envisioned a cloud-based network facilitating content discovery, supply chain optimization, distribution efficiency, dynamic pricing, and seamless commerce. This included tools designed to streamline faculty adoption processes, enhance student access to materials, and simplify bookstore management operations. However, the company ultimately shut down, and the specific reasons for its closure remain unknown.