Biro maker Bic buys start-up that digitises your doodles

Rocketbook develops a re-usable notepad

Credit: Rocketbook

Bic, the French firm behind the popular ballpoint pens, has snapped up a company that designs a re-usable notebook that can email doodles to a user’s smartphone.

Rocketbook designs notepads that let users scrawl notes and upload in digital form to a smartphone or computer.

The $40m (£30m) deal sees Clichy-headquartered Bic acquire 100pc of Rocketbook. Founded in 2014 by Americans Joe Lemay and Jake Epstein, Rocketbook rose to prominence with a crowdfunding campaign that raised $1.7m. It also made an unsuccessful bid for funding on the US equivalent of Dragons’ Den.

Mr Lemay said: "Six years ago, Jake and I were sitting in a pub in Boston dreaming about how to make the idea of a reusable notebook a reality. We faced huge obstacles and countless sceptics early-on were working to reinvent a centuries-old-industry."

Rocketbook is now the top-selling reusable digital notebook on Amazon. Its notebooks start at £15 for short-hand notebooks and up to £30 for A4-size reusable pads.

Gonzalve Bich, Bic chief executive, said the invention provided a way for notes to be stored in an "environmentally conscious manner".

Bic, best known for its biro pens, lighters and razors, said it planned to use the deal to expand access to "digital writing".