Needslist
NeedsList is a software platform that matches community-identified humanitarian needs with offers of support in real-time, serving government agencies, NGOs, corporations, and grassroots organizations across disaster response and refugee resettlement contexts globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersDurham, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Needslist does
NeedsList is a community-centred software platform that matches humanitarian needs with offers of support in real-time, serving government agencies, NGOs, corporations, and grassroots organizations across disaster response and refugee resettlement contexts. Founded in Durham, North Carolina and now operating as 'An Armillaria project' following Armillaria's 2024 acquisition, the company was built around the premise that faster matching of identified needs to donor offers reduces waste and improves targeting in humanitarian aid delivery. Named deployments include Welcome Exchange (with Welcome.US for Afghan refugees), RespondLocal (with Google.org in Ukraine), and Red Recuperación (Venezuela crisis response), alongside municipal crisis preparedness deployments in Massachusetts and North Carolina.
The platform's core technology comprises real-time needs and offers matching, dynamic tracking dashboards, map visualization, total value tracking, and multi-language support, with security infrastructure designed in collaboration with Google.org to withstand crisis conditions. The product portfolio is structured in three tiers: a permanently free community tier for basic needs listing, a White Label subscription tier offering dedicated hosting, administrative control, language customization, and data migration support, and an Enterprise tier providing sophisticated hosting environments and integration with existing Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) software. Distribution is hybrid — self-serve for the free tier, direct enterprise sales for White Label and Enterprise, and government partnership channels for municipal deployments.
The business model combines a freemium top-of-funnel with monetized White Label and Enterprise deployments; pricing is undisclosed and negotiated directly. Despite a small operating team of 1–10, NeedsList reports substantial outcome metrics including 750+ partners using its tools, $35M delivered to local communities, and 800,000 lives impacted across deployments in the Bahamas, Ukraine, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Greece, and multiple U.S. states. The company has raised approximately $2.72M across multiple funding rounds between 2017 and 2021 from investors including Omidyar Network, Village Capital, Google, Amplio Ventures, Kuo Sharper Fund, Marigold Capital, Next Wave Impact, and Silicon Valley Social Venture Capital, and has been recognized by Fast Company (World Changing Ideas 2020 finalist), MIT Solve (2019 Challenge Finals), Forbes, and Village Capital.
Needslist firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Needslist
- Legal name
- NeedsList
- Website
- https://needslist.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- NeedsList is a software platform that matches community-identified humanitarian needs with offers of support in real-time, serving government agencies, NGOs, corporations, and grassroots organizations across disaster response and refugee resettlement contexts globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Needslist industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Humanitarian Aid & Disaster Response Software
- NAICS
- Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Humanitarian Coordination, Information Management & Needs Assessment (BPADADAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK), Crisis Management & Communications Support (Mass Notification) (BPABANAF), Humanitarian Logistics, Supply Chain & Air/Sea/Land Relief Transport (BPAGAAAI)
Keywords
Where Needslist is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Durham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Needslist business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Freemium Basic Platform: Free tier allows listing needs and offers; enables community organizations to use core matching functionality at no cost
- White Label Solutions: Organizations can deploy branded versions with dedicated hosting environment, full administrative control, language customization, data migration support, and early access to new features
- Enterprise Solutions: Custom hosting environments for organizations requiring sophisticated risk management, with integration of NeedsList into existing HADR (Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief) software
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free community platform with basic needs/offers listing capabilities |
| Subscription | Annual | Branded platform with full customization and control |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Enterprise-grade hosting with advanced integration capabilities |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Needslist product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NeedsList operates a real-time software platform that matches community-stated humanitarian needs with incoming offers of in-kind goods, services, and donations, and tracks the total value of support delivered. The platform is offered as a free community tier, a White Label branded deployment tier, and an Enterprise tier with dedicated hosting and integration into existing Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) software systems.
Product overview
NeedsList offers a unified crisis response platform with a core matching engine at its center. The core NeedsList Platform provides community-centred needs collection, real-time matching of needs and offers, value tracking, and partnership tools. The product portfolio includes two deployment tiers: White Label (dedicated hosting, full administrative control, language customization) and Enterprise (sophisticated hosting for risk scenarios, HADR software integration). The platform also powers several branded, issue-specific implementations including RespondLocal (Ukraine, Google.org-supported), Welcome Exchange (US refugee resettlement with Welcome.US), and Red Recuperación (Venezuela crisis response). The platform is offered free for basic needs listing, with paid tiers for branded presence and enterprise deployment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- NeedsList Platform Real-time community-centred response, recovery and resilience platform that matches community-stated humanitarian needs with offers of in-kind support, tracks the total value of support provided, and enables partnerships across local and global stakeholders.
- Welcome Exchange Branded NeedsList-powered marketplace created with Welcome.US enabling refugee resettlement agencies and businesses across the U.S. to post needs and make offers of in-kind support for Afghan neighbors; reported over $20M in resources committed.
- RespondLocal Google.org-supported online aid marketplace powered by NeedsList technology, deployed in Ukraine to connect local NGOs, international aid organizations, and private sector companies with people affected by war.
- Red Recuperación Online marketplace for Venezuela crisis response that aggregated needs from frontline workers and matched them with offers from local businesses and the Venezuelan diaspora, powered by NeedsList's real-time matching software.
- Greece Refugee Support Deployment Operational deployment supporting grassroots Greek humanitarian organizations aiding refugees and asylum seekers, enabling individual and corporate donors to purchase essential items in bulk quantities from local suppliers.
- Hurricane Dorian Response Deployment (USAID/OFDA) USAID/OFDA landing page deployment for nonprofits and private sector companies to list needs and offers following Hurricane Dorian, facilitating over $200,000 in matched donations to NGOs working in The Bahamas.
Quantifiable outcome
- 750+ partners using NeedsList tools globally
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Needslist
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Needslist technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Needslist partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- USAID/OFDAcoreDeployed a landing page for USAID/OFDA after Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas. Provided language and graphics for social media, and directly engaged participating organisations to facilitate matched donations. Over 2 dozen companies committed $4M+ in-kind donations.
- Google.orgcoreSecurity systems were designed in collaboration with Google to guarantee safety within the platform. Google.org supported the RespondLocal initiative in Ukraine, leveraging NeedsList's technology for rapid humanitarian response.
- Welcome.UScoreWelcome.US tapped NeedsList to create the Welcome Exchange—the nation's first in-kind giving platform for refugees. Over $20M in resources have been committed to welcoming Afghan refugees through this custom-branded marketplace.
- Scalabrini International Migration NetworkminorImplementing partner for Red Recuperación project addressing Venezuelan humanitarian crisis. Collaborated on aggregating needs from frontline workers and matching with offers from local businesses and diaspora.
- CORE GroupminorImplementing partner for Red Recuperación project. Contributed to online marketplace aggregating needs from frontline workers during Venezuela crisis.
- COOPIminorImplementing partner for Red Recuperación project. Part of consortium addressing Venezuelan humanitarian crisis through real-time matching software.
- Diálogo DiversominorImplementing partner for Red Recuperación project. Collaborated on design of marketplace for Venezuelan crisis response.
- PresenteminorImplementing partner for Red Recuperación project. Part of coalition addressing Venezuelan humanitarian crisis.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Needslist competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CrisisCleanup: CrisisCleanup is a directly comparable open-source coordination platform used after disasters to organize volunteer cleanup crews and manage needs lists. Both NeedsList and CrisisCleanup enable real-time matching of community needs with offers of support during humanitarian crises.
- Ushahidi: Ushahidi builds crisis-mapping and crowdsourced data collection software used for elections, humanitarian response, and human rights documentation. It is a direct peer as both platforms enable real-time community reporting and resource coordination during crises, with overlapping customer bases in NGOs and human rights organizations.
Emerging players
- KoBoToolbox: KoBoToolbox is an open-source data collection platform widely used by humanitarian organizations for needs assessments and field surveys. It is an emerging peer in the same humanitarian information management space, though focused primarily on data collection rather than needs-offers matching.
- Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team: HOT applies open mapping and crowdsourced geographic data to humanitarian response and disaster preparedness. It is an emerging peer addressing related humanitarian coordination challenges, particularly around mapping and situational awareness that complements needs-offers matching.
- Twilio (Crisis Response / Frontline): Twilio powers crisis communications, mass notification, and two-way messaging for emergency response and humanitarian use cases. It is an emerging peer in adjacent humanitarian communication infrastructure that overlaps with NeedsList's partnership activation and stakeholder coordination functionality.
- AidKit: AidKit provides case management and direct aid disbursement software for nonprofits running mutual aid and emergency assistance programs. It is an emerging peer serving overlapping customer segments (NGOs and community organizations) with complementary workflows around aid delivery and tracking.
Broad incumbents
- Salesforce.org (Nonprofit Cloud): Salesforce.org offers nonprofit and humanitarian CRM and case management solutions used by large NGOs and humanitarian organizations. It is a broad incumbent whose platforms can be extended to cover some of the needs-coordination use cases NeedsList serves, with much broader institutional reach.
- Palantir Technologies: Palantir provides data integration and operational software used by governments and large humanitarian organizations for disaster response and refugee operations. It is a broad incumbent with significant humanitarian sector deployments, overlapping with NeedsList's enterprise/government buyer profile.
- Microsoft Tech for Social Impact: Microsoft's nonprofit and humanitarian programs bundle Dynamics 365, Azure, and Power Platform for NGOs and crisis response organizations. It is a broad incumbent providing enterprise tooling that competes for the same institutional buyer wallet as NeedsList's enterprise tier.
Others
- Zipline: Zipline operates autonomous drone delivery networks for medical supplies and humanitarian aid in hard-to-reach areas. It is thematically adjacent as a technology-enabled humanitarian logistics provider, though its focus is on physical delivery rather than needs-offers coordination.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Needslist social profiles
Digital presenceNeedslist financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Needslist leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Needslist funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors9 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Needslist 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 Needslist
What does Needslist do?
NeedsList operates a real-time software platform that matches community-stated humanitarian needs with incoming offers of in-kind goods, services, and donations, and tracks the total value of support delivered. The platform is offered as a free community tier, a White Label branded deployment tier, and an Enterprise tier with dedicated hosting and integration into existing Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) software systems.
Is Needslist a public or private company?
Needslist is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Needslist founded?
Needslist was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Needslist based?
Needslist is headquartered in Durham, United States, in the North America region.
How does Needslist make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Freemium Basic Platform is the primary driver. The others are white Label Solutions and enterprise Solutions.
Who are Needslist's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CrisisCleanup and Ushahidi. Emerging players are KoBoToolbox, Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, Twilio (Crisis Response / Frontline) and AidKit. Broad incumbents are Salesforce.org (Nonprofit Cloud), Palantir Technologies and Microsoft Tech for Social Impact. Zipline is listed as an others.
Does Needslist have an API?
No public API is recorded for Needslist.
What industry is Needslist in?
Needslist's product category is Humanitarian Aid & Disaster Response Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADADAL, Humanitarian Coordination, Information Management & Needs Assessment, with a secondary code of BPADAEAK, Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming. Its NAICS code is 62423 and its SIC code is 7372.