A senior at the University of Rhode Island, Anthony Markey knows how frustrating it is when the school bookstore offers to buy back textbooks at a fraction of the original price.
"Although only a few months have gone by, it's almost worse than a car … you're getting pennies on the dollar," he said.
Markey, who tried to sell his textbooks to fellow students via a Facebook group, knew there had to be a better way. In December he launched Providence-based Libby – an online textbook buy-and-sell platform currently in the beta stage at URI and Johnson & Wales University.
He said he chose to start the company while still enrolled because, as a college student, he is part of Libby's target demographic.
Libby is one of 12 companies chosen to participate in the latest Bridge to MassChallenge boot camp, a pitch competition and startup generator for Rhode Island businesses.
Within the next year, Markey hopes to expand in the Northeast, what he called "a college- and university-rich area." •