Cotulla Holdings Co-Leads $3.7M Seed Round for Aviation-Focused Kilsar

Kilsar, a Virginia Beach-based company developing a platform for aviation maintenance and training, has successfully closed a $3.7 million seed funding round. The investment was co-led by Lightbank and New York-based Cotulla Holdings, with participation from Techstars and Scalewolf, a dual-use accelerator and venture firm from Lithuania. This funding marks a significant step forward in Kilsar's mission to modernize the aviation maintenance training pipeline and tackle the industry's pressing workforce readiness crisis.

The company has announced a strategic partnership with the Aviation Institute of Maintenance (AIM), one of the nation's largest aviation training institutions. This collaboration aims to leverage Kilsar's AI-powered platform, Orion, to capture and scale the knowledge of retiring maintainers. Orion transforms complex maintenance procedures into interactive, step-by-step digital workflows, enabling faster upskilling for new learners and active maintainers alike.

Brendan Lawlor, Kilsar's founder and CEO, brings a unique blend of experience in data analytics, strategy, and compliance from his previous roles at PRA Group and Mosaic Labs. Under his leadership, Kilsar is focusing on dual-use technologies for both defense and commercial sectors, addressing the urgent need for revitalization in aviation maintenance and related skilled trades.

The seed funding will be utilized to expand Kilsar's engineering and deployment teams, accelerate onboarding across defense and commercial maintenance organizations, and further develop Orion's real-time AI assistant. This assistant aims to replace static manuals with searchable, enriched content, enhancing efficiency and precision in maintenance operations.

Cotulla Holdings, making its first venture investment in Kilsar, is a private equity fund founded by Jared L. Solomon. The firm's involvement underscores the potential impact of Kilsar's innovative approach to solving the aviation industry's workforce challenges. With this investment, Kilsar is poised to make significant strides in preserving critical knowledge and preparing the next generation of aviation technicians for the evolving demands of the industry.