Who Owns Flat?
Flat is owned by Tutteo Limited, a private music technology company headquartered in London, England. Launched in November 2014, Flat is a browser-based notation editor that lets multiple users write and edit scores together in real time. Tutteo was founded in 2015 by Pierre Rannou, Vincent Giersch, Corentin Gurtner, and Cyril Coutelier.
Who Owns Flat?
- Parent Company: Tutteo Limited
- Ownership Type: Wholly owned
- Company Type: Privately Held
| Brand | Parent Company | Ownership Type |
|---|---|---|
| Flat | Tutteo Limited | Wholly owned |
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History of Flat
- Founded: 2014
- Founders: Pierre Rannou, Vincent Giersch, Corentin Gurtner, Cyril Coutelier
Flat began as a student project in 2012. The founders, all musicians, found that existing notation software was expensive, desktop-bound, and single-user, making collaborative composition nearly impossible without being in the same room. They built a browser-based editor as their final-year project and launched it publicly in November 2014.
Tutteo Limited incorporated in August 2015, the same year Flat closed a seed round and joined the Google for Education partner program, integrating with Google Classroom and Drive. That education channel produced Flat for Education in 2016, a classroom version with assignments and grading that became the company's main business.
The community passed five million users by 2020, and the company stayed deliberately small and profitable rather than raising growth capital. Its products now include embeddable notation and tablature components for Google Docs and Microsoft Word, selling to schools and third-party platforms. In 2026 rankings of notation software, Flat placed fourth among Finale alternatives, the highest of the browser-native tools.
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About Tutteo Limited
Who owns Flat? Flat is owned by Tutteo Limited, a private London company founded in 2015 by Pierre Rannou, Vincent Giersch, Corentin Gurtner, and Cyril Coutelier.
Is Tutteo a French company? The founders are French and the project began as a French student project, but Tutteo Limited is incorporated in England and headquartered in London, with a US subsidiary in Delaware.
What does Tutteo make? The Flat collaborative music notation editor, the Flat for Education classroom platform, and embeddable notation tools that integrate with Google and Microsoft products.
How many people use Flat? The Flat community passed five million users in 2020 and has continued to grow, concentrated in education.
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- Founded: 2015
- Headquarters: London, England, United Kingdom
- Company Type: Privately Held
- Employees: Approximately 45
Where Is Flat Made / Based?
- Headquarters: London, England, United Kingdom
Flat Categories & Tags
Flat Ownership: Pros & Cons
Advantages
- +Real-time browser collaboration is a genuine technical differentiator
- +Google for Education partnership provides durable school distribution
- +Profitable and founder-controlled, so product decisions stay user-focused
Considerations
- -Engraving depth trails desktop professional tools
- -Noteflight, now backed by Muse Group and Hal Leonard's catalog, is a stronger-funded rival
- -Education revenue is tied to school budgets and Google ecosystem
Sources & Further Reading
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Competitors to Flat
These competing brands operate in the same categories and provide similar products or services. Compare key attributes to understand market positioning and competitive landscape.
| Brand | Parent Company | Country | Founded | Market Position | Primary Market | Gender Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yamaha | Germany | 2016 | Mass market | Global | All Genders | |
| Muse Group | Cyprus | 2002 | Mass market | Global | All Genders | |
| Hal Leonard | USA | 2008 | Mass market | Global | All Genders | |
| Sonic Scores | United States | 1994 | Niche premium | Global | All-ages | |
| Avid Technology | USA | 1993 | Mass market | Global | All Genders |
Learn More About Competitors
Technology SoftwareDorico
Owned by Yamaha Corporation
Professional music notation software developed by Steinberg, a Yamaha subsidiary, and led by the former Sibelius team.
music-notationcompositionmusic-software
Technology SoftwareMuseScore Studio
Owned by Muse Group (MuseCY Holdings Ltd.)
Free open-source music notation program owned by Muse Group, formerly known as MuseScore until 2024.
music-notationopen-sourcecomposition
Technology SoftwareNoteflight
Owned by Hal Leonard LLC
Browser-based music notation platform founded by Joe Berkovitz, owned by Hal Leonard since 2014 and part of Muse Group since 2023.
music-notationeducationbrowser-software
Technology SoftwareOverture
Owned by Sonic Scores
Music notation software developed by Don Williams and published by Sonic Scores, providing professional music composition and score editing capabilities for musicians and composers.
music-notationcompositionmusic-software
Technology SoftwareSibelius
Owned by Avid Technology, Inc.
Music notation software created by the Finn brothers in 1993, owned by Avid Technology since 2006.
music-notationcompositionmusic-software
Competitive Analysis
Market Positioning: Flat competes with 5 brands in the same categories, ranging from mass market to luxury positioning.
Geographic Distribution: Competitors are headquartered across multiple regions, indicating global competition in this market segment.
Brand Heritage: Competitor brands range from established heritage brands to newer market entrants, with founding years spanning several decades.
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Arrow Electronics operates independently without a large parent corporation.
Technology SoftwareOdoo
Owned by Odoo S.A.
Belgian open-source business software suite offering integrated ERP, CRM, accounting, and e-commerce apps, valued near 10 billion euros in 2026.
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Technology SoftwareSketchbook
Owned by Sketchbook, Inc.
Digital drawing and painting application originally developed at Alias and now owned by independent Sketchbook, Inc. following its 2021 spin-out from Autodesk.
digital-artillustrationdrawing
Privately Owned
Sketchbook operates independently without a large parent corporation.
Technology SoftwareTaimi
Owned by Taimi
LGBTQ+ social networking and dating platform serving over 25 million users globally, founded in 2017 by Alex Pasykov.
datinglgbtq-datingsocial-networking
Privately Owned
Taimi operates independently without a large parent corporation.
Technology SoftwareThursday
Owned by Thursday
Dating events company hosting singles-only gatherings in 150+ cities worldwide, focused on in-person connections rather than app-based matching.
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Thursday operates independently without a large parent corporation.
Technology SoftwareBlinkist
Owned by Blinkist
Independent book-summary brand returned to founder ownership in April 2026 after three years under Go1.
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Blinkist operates independently without a large parent corporation.
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