Kit list
KIT List was a free, community-driven email job posting service founded in 1997 in the Bay Area that grew to 72,000+ subscribers through word-of-mouth before closing in February 2023.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersMenlo Park, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Kit list does
KIT List was a free, community-driven email-based job posting service that operated from 1997 until its announced closure in February 2023. Founded by Sue Connelly as an internal email list at Silicon Graphics to keep in touch with friends and clients, it rapidly evolved into a job opportunities newsletter after SGI layoffs began, eventually reaching over 72,000 subscribers and distributing more than 176,000 job postings over 25.5 years. The core product was a curated email newsletter distributed regionally with a Bay Area technology focus, supported by a WordPress career-resources blog, a YouTube 'Get That Job!' interview tips series, and a 'Corona Videos' channel co-hosted by Sue and Kelly Connelly.
The underlying technology was a simple email newsletter distribution system with no proprietary features, no mobile applications, and no AI/ML components. The service was operated by Sue Connelly alongside volunteer moderators (Amy Plunkett, Val Cienega, and Kelly Connelly), with no paid employees dedicated to the KIT List itself. KIT List is a registered trademark of Connelly Communications, Inc., Sue Connelly's separate marketing communications consulting business.
The business model was explicitly non-commercial: the service was free for both job seekers and employers, with no pricing model, no advertising, and no monetization mechanics. Growth occurred entirely through word-of-mouth and the 'FriendWorking' philosophy — a community norm of helping others first before seeking help. There were no funding rounds, no external investors, and no parent company. As of February 2023 the founder announced the wind-down of active operations, though some legacy content (YouTube videos and the blog) was retained online for ongoing community use.
Kit list firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kit list
- Legal name
- Connelly Communications, Inc.
- Website
- https://kitlist.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- KIT List was a free, community-driven email job posting service founded in 1997 in the Bay Area that grew to 72,000+ subscribers through word-of-mouth before closing in February 2023.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kit list industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Job Board Services
- NAICS
- Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (519290)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community/Group Chat Platforms (BPAMACAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Email, Calendar & Scheduling (BPAMAMAC)
Keywords
Where Kit list is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Menlo Park
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Kit list business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel
Revenue model
- Free job posting service: The KIT List operated as a free community service. Job postings were shared at no charge to job seekers or employers. The founder donated her time for nearly seven years before recruiting volunteer moderators.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Kit list product offering
Product offeringCore offering
KIT List was a free email-based job posting service that distributed job opportunities to over 72,000 subscribers through community word-of-mouth sharing. The service connected job seekers with employers and recruiters via a central email newsletter, supplemented by free career resources including YouTube video series and a career advice blog operated by founder Sue Connelly.
Product overview
KIT List was a single unified service centered on an email-based job opportunities list that helped great people find great jobs through word-of-mouth community growth. The core product was the email distribution list with over 72,000 subscribers. Supporting resources included the "Get That Job!" TV Shows (YouTube video series with hiring expert tips), "Corona Videos" (YouTube channel with pandemic job market guidance), and Sue's KIT List Blog for career resources. The service operated from 1997 until February 2023.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- KIT List Job Postings Email Service Free email-based job opportunities distribution service connecting over 72,000 top professionals with job openings through community word-of-mouth sharing. Job postings were shared via email newsletter to subscribers in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, with 176,000+ postings shared over the service's 25+ year lifetime.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 176,000 job postings shared with the community over 25+ years
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Kit list
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Kit list technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Kit list partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves4 records
Kit list competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- LinkedIn: Dominant professional networking and job platform. Overlaps with KIT List as a channel for job distribution and recruiter sourcing, though operates globally with a profile-and-feed model versus KIT List's email community approach.
- Indeed: Largest job search engine globally. Competes with KIT List for both job seeker attention and employer recruiter spend, but does so at massive scale with a search-based, broad-market model.
- ZipRecruiter: AI-driven job marketplace serving employers and job seekers across the U.S. Comparable as a destination for job distribution and recruiter candidate sourcing, but operates at national scale rather than community-curated.
Direct peers
- Built In: Community-driven tech job and content platform with strong local-market identities (Bay Area, NYC, etc.). Closest analog to KIT List's combination of curated tech community, employer brand content, and curated job board.
- The Muse: Career content plus curated job listings aimed at professional job seekers. Comparable in blending career advice/media with job distribution, similar to KIT List's blog-plus-job-postings approach.
- Authentic Jobs: Niche, curated job board focused on design, web, and creative tech roles. Comparable to KIT List as a smaller-scale, community-flavored job distribution channel serving a specific professional niche.
Emerging players
- Wellfound (formerly AngelList Talent): Startup and tech-focused job platform connecting job seekers with venture-backed employers. Overlaps with KIT List's Bay Area tech recruiting orientation, though targets startups specifically.
- Handshake: Early-career job and recruiting platform. Comparable as a curated, community-style job distribution channel with employer relationships, though focused on students and new graduates.
Others
- Workable: Recruiting and applicant tracking platform used by SMB and mid-market employers. Adjacent to KIT List because it serves the employer-side demand for high-quality candidate sourcing, though via SaaS tooling rather than a community job board.
- Greenhouse: Enterprise recruiting and ATS platform. Comparable as an enabling layer for the kind of Bay Area tech recruiting HireLoop performed via KIT List, though addresses employer hiring workflows rather than job seeker community.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Kit list social profiles
Digital presenceKit list financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kit list leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Kit list funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kit list 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 Kit list
What does Kit list do?
KIT List was a free email-based job posting service that distributed job opportunities to over 72,000 subscribers through community word-of-mouth sharing. The service connected job seekers with employers and recruiters via a central email newsletter, supplemented by free career resources including YouTube video series and a career advice blog operated by founder Sue Connelly.
Is Kit list a public or private company?
Kit list is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently closed.
When was Kit list founded?
Kit list was founded in 1997. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Kit list based?
Kit list is headquartered in Menlo Park, United States, in the North America region.
How does Kit list make money?
One revenue line is on record: free job posting service.
Who are Kit list's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are LinkedIn, Indeed and ZipRecruiter. Direct peers are Built In, The Muse and Authentic Jobs. Emerging players are Wellfound (formerly AngelList Talent) and Handshake. Others are Workable and Greenhouse.
Does Kit list have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kit list.
What industry is Kit list in?
Kit list's product category is Online Job Board Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMACAH, Community/Group Chat Platforms, with a secondary code of BPAMAMAC, Email, Calendar & Scheduling. Its NAICS code is 519290 and its SIC code is 7370.