Boldmethod
Boldmethod is a Boulder-based online flight training platform that produces paid aviation courses, free CFI tools, articles, quizzes, and videos for student pilots, private pilots, instrument-rated pilots, CFIs, and airline pilots. It monetizes via individual course sales and aviation industry sponsorships, supported by 540,000 monthly website visitors and a 100,000+ email subscriber base.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersBoulder, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Boldmethod does
Boldmethod is a privately held LLC operating an online flight training education platform for the general aviation community. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, the company produces aviation stories, courses, quizzes, videos, and free interactive CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) tools aimed at student pilots, private pilots, instrument-rated pilots, CFIs, and airline pilots. The product surface spans a paid online course catalog (Instrument Procedures, Mastering Takeoffs and Landings, Aviation Weather, Airspace, VFR Charts and Publications, Mountain Weather), a suite of free CFI Tools (Turns Around A Point, Forces In A Turn, Forces In Climbs And Descents, CG Location And Performance), free educational articles and quizzes across topics including aerodynamics, weather, regulations, and checkride preparation, and an iOS mobile application launched in August 2023. The underlying technology is a web-based Learning Management System delivering multimedia course content, interactive calculators, and self-assessment quizzes directly to consumers.
The business operates two revenue streams: (1) one-time/perpetual-license sales of individual courses through its e-commerce LMS, sold directly via the website to a global consumer base; and (2) advertising and sponsorship revenue from aviation industry partners, leveraging an audience of 540,000 monthly unique website visitors, 240,000+ Facebook followers, 100,000+ email newsletter subscribers, and a print network of 3,300+ FBOs through a partnership with General Aviation News. The go-to-market motion is product-led growth combined with community-led content marketing, with free content and tools serving as top-of-funnel acquisition for paid courses. The company is founder-controlled by co-founders Colin Cutler and Aleks Udris, both former CFIs and airline professionals from the University of North Dakota, and operates with 1-10 employees and no disclosed external institutional investment. Named partnerships include core relationships with AOPA, ATP Flight School, Garmin, Jeppesen, and General Aviation News, alongside a longer tail of minor aviation sponsors.
Boldmethod firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Boldmethod
- Legal name
- Boldmethod, LLC
- Website
- https://boldmethod.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Boldmethod is a Boulder-based online flight training platform that produces paid aviation courses, free CFI tools, articles, quizzes, and videos for student pilots, private pilots, instrument-rated pilots, CFIs, and airline pilots. It monetizes via individual course sales and aviation industry sponsorships, supported by 540,000 monthly website visitors and a 100,000+ email subscriber base.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Boldmethod industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Aviation Education / Online Flight Training
- NAICS
- Flight Training (611512)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Aviation & Aerospace (EDABALAC)
Keywords
Where Boldmethod is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boulder
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Boldmethod business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Online Course Sales: Sale of structured aviation training courses through the website LMS platform. Courses cover instrument procedures, VFR mastery, weather, airspace, and other flight training topics.
- Advertising & Sponsorships: Display advertising and sponsorship partnerships with aviation companies. The platform offers advertising options including display advertising and sponsored series to reach their audience of 540,000 monthly visitors.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Individual course purchases |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels8 records
Boldmethod product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Boldmethod sells online aviation training courses and provides free CFI instructional tools through a web-based LMS and iOS app. The product portfolio includes structured paid courses on instrument procedures, takeoffs and landings, aviation weather, airspace, VFR charts, and mountain weather, complemented by free interactive CFI tools, articles, quizzes, and videos for pilots and flight instructors.
Product overview
Boldmethod is an online flight training platform providing a portfolio of aviation education products for pilots. The core offering consists of paid online courses including Instrument Procedures, Mastering Takeoffs and Landings, Aviation Weather, Airspace, VFR Charts and Publications, and Mountain Weather. These are complemented by free CFI Tools including Turns Around A Point, Forces In A Turn, Forces In Climbs And Descents, and CG Location And Performance. The platform also delivers free educational content through articles, quizzes, videos, podcasts, and lists covering aerodynamics, regulations, weather, systems, navigation, and checkride preparation. An iOS mobile app provides on-the-go access to training materials.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CFI Tools: Free online tools for flight instructors including Turns Around A Point, Forces In A Turn, Forces In Climbs And Descents, and CG Location And Performance calculators.
- Boldmethod App
Products and services
- Mastering Takeoffs and Landings
- Aviation Weather
- Airspace
- VFR Charts and Publications
- Mountain Weather
- Instrument Procedures Course
- Boldmethod iOS App
- Turns Around A Point CFI Tool
- Forces In A Turn CFI Tool
- Forces In Climbs And Descents CFI Tool
- CG Location And Performance CFI Tool
Quantifiable outcome
- 540,000 monthly unique visitors
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Boldmethod
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Boldmethod technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Boldmethod partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- AOPAcoreAircraft Owners and Pilots Association partnership. AOPA is a major aviation organization representing aircraft owners and pilots.
- ATP Flight SchoolcoreATP Flight School partnership with advertising and content sponsorship on Boldmethod platform.
- GarmincoreAviation electronics manufacturer Garmin partnered for sponsored content on aviation topics.
- JeppesencoreAviation navigation and data company Jeppesen partnership for content and advertising.
- Lightspeed HeadsetsminorAviation headset manufacturer partnership for sponsored content.
- General Aviation NewscorePartnership creating a connected web + social + print network combining Boldmethod with General Aviation News.
- LIFT AcademyminorAviation training academy partnership for content and advertising.
- Republic AirwaysminorRegional airline partnership for sponsored content.
- UND (University of North Dakota)minorAviation university partnership for sponsored content.
- AssuredPartnersminorAviation insurance partnership for sponsored content.
- Venture WestminorAviation business partnership for sponsored content.
- AOPA Pilot Protection ServicesminorPilot protection services partnership for sponsored content.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Boldmethod competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sporty's Pilot Shop: Sporty's is a leading pilot training retailer and course publisher offering online ground school, test prep, and aviation training content — directly competing with Boldmethod's premium course catalog and CFI-targeted learning tools.
- MzeroA.com: MzeroA offers video-based flight training courses and lesson plans for student pilots and CFIs, competing head-to-head with Boldmethod's video courses and CFI resources in the online ground-school segment.
- ASA (Aviation Supplies & Academics): ASA publishes the standard pilot training textbooks, study guides, and online test prep used by most US flight schools — directly overlapping Boldmethod's reference content and checkride preparation use case.
- Gleim Aviation: Gleim Aviation produces textbooks, online courses, and test prep for private, instrument, and commercial pilot certificates — a long-established direct competitor to Boldmethod's structured curriculum and checkride preparation offerings.
- Pilot Institute: Pilot Institute sells structured online aviation courses (private pilot, instrument, drone) and shares Boldmethod's content-led, direct-to-consumer model aimed at student and certificated pilots seeking ground-school training.
- FlightInsight: FlightInsight develops interactive 3D flight training tools and visualization aids for maneuvers and systems — competing with Boldmethod's CFI Tools line and adjacent in the pilot education tooling category.
Emerging players
- The Pilot's Place (formerly The Finer Points): The Pilot's Place (formerly The Finer Points podcast) produces high-engagement pilot education content and merchandise aimed at student and private pilots — a content-led, direct-to-consumer model comparable to Boldmethod.
Broad incumbents
- AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association): AOPA is the largest US GA membership organization and produces a wide range of pilot training content, newsletters, and educational resources — overlapping Boldmethod's audience and content surface area but as part of a much broader member-services portfolio.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Boldmethod social profiles
Digital presenceBoldmethod financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Boldmethod leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Boldmethod funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Boldmethod M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Boldmethod
What does Boldmethod do?
Boldmethod sells online aviation training courses and provides free CFI instructional tools through a web-based LMS and iOS app. The product portfolio includes structured paid courses on instrument procedures, takeoffs and landings, aviation weather, airspace, VFR charts, and mountain weather, complemented by free interactive CFI tools, articles, quizzes, and videos for pilots and flight instructors.
Is Boldmethod a public or private company?
Boldmethod is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Boldmethod founded?
Boldmethod was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Boldmethod based?
Boldmethod is headquartered in Boulder, United States, in the North America region.
How does Boldmethod make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Online Course Sales are the primary driver. The others are advertising & Sponsorships.
Who are Boldmethod's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sporty's Pilot Shop, MzeroA.com, ASA (Aviation Supplies & Academics), Gleim Aviation, Pilot Institute and FlightInsight. The Pilot's Place (formerly The Finer Points) is listed as an emerging player. AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Boldmethod have an API?
No public API is recorded for Boldmethod.
What industry is Boldmethod in?
Boldmethod's product category is Aviation Education / Online Flight Training. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDABALAC, Aviation & Aerospace. Its NAICS code is 611512.