# John Eielson

> John Eielson is co-CEO and co-founder of FlatWorld, a Boston-based digital-first publisher that sells college textbooks for roughly $25 to $40 to make higher education more affordable. A former U.S. Coast Guard officer turned strategy consultant, he and longtime business partner Alastair Adam acquired the assets of Flat World Knowledge in 2016 and rebuilt it around a simple idea: instructors matter, and quality and affordability do not have to be a tradeoff. Today FlatWorld's titles are used by professors at more than 2,000 colleges and universities.

- **Role:** Co-CEO and Co-Founder at FlatWorld
- **Organizations:** FlatWorld, OC&C Strategy Consultants, The Parthenon Group, IBM, United States Coast Guard
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BS, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, United States Coast Guard Academy, MBA, Yale School of Management
- **Known for:** Co-founded and leads FlatWorld, whose textbooks are used by professors at more than 2,000 colleges and universities, Rebuilt Flat World Knowledge into a sustainable, digital-first publisher with most titles priced between $25 and $40, Partner and co-founder of OC&C Strategy Consultants' Boston office

## Career timeline

- **1998** — Moved to Boston, where he met longtime business partner Alastair Adam
- **2002** — Launched his first company with Alastair Adam in the information and publishing space
- **Earlier career** — Served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Coast Guard; worked as a Financial Analyst at IBM
- **Consulting years** — Partner at The Parthenon Group (Information Industry practice); Partner and co-founder of OC&C Strategy Consultants' Boston office
- **2016** — With Alastair Adam, acquired the assets of Flat World Knowledge, rebranded it FlatWorld, and relocated it to Boston
- **2018** — FlatWorld launched its Homework platform
- **2019** — First FlatWorld Scholarship awarded
- **2023** — FlatWorld catalog grows to 145+ titles across 20+ disciplines

## Achievements

- Co-founded and leads FlatWorld, whose textbooks are used by professors at more than 2,000 colleges and universities
- Rebuilt Flat World Knowledge into a sustainable, digital-first publisher with most titles priced between $25 and $40
- Partner and co-founder of OC&C Strategy Consultants' Boston office
- Partner at The Parthenon Group in the Information Industry practice
- Served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Coast Guard

## Latest updates

- **2023** — FlatWorld's catalog expanded to more than 145 titles across over 20 disciplines

## Links

- Website: https://flatworld.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/john-eielson-523a1422
- Twitter/X: http://twitter.com/flat_world
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/flatworldknowledge

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/john-eielson
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-16