FlatWorld
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder | Eric Frank, Jeff Shelstad |
| Headquarters | Irvington, New York , United States |
| Products | Higher education textbooks, academic resources |
FlatWorld operates as a publisher specializing in higher education textbooks and related academic resources. Established in 2007 by Eric Frank and Jeff Shelstad, the company initially launched under the name Flat World Knowledge.
History
In 2007, Jeff Shelstad and Eric Frank founded Flat World Knowledge in Nyack, New York. By August 2009, their textbooks had been adopted by 400 colleges, reaching an audience of approximately 40,000 students. The company moved its headquarters to Irvington, New York in 2010, at which point more than 1,300 instructors were utilizing its educational content.
During 2010, the firm secured $8 million in investment capital and followed with an additional $15 million funding round in January 2011 to accelerate its expansion within the digital textbook sector.
Originally, Flat World Knowledge provided all its textbooks online for free through an open content framework; however, this free access was discontinued in November 2012.
Towards the end of 2016, ownership transitioned to Alastair Adam and John Eielson, who rebranded the company as FlatWorld.