Urban List
Urban List is an Australian digital lifestyle media platform operating 25+ city-specific editions across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and international destinations, producing editorially-curated content on travel, food, and entertainment for urban consumers aged 25-45, monetized through branded content, advertising, and a newsletter subscription.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersSurry Hills, Australia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Urban List does
Urban List is a privately-held Australian digital media publication founded in 2011 and operated by LABORE Pty Ltd, headquartered in Surry Hills, Sydney. The platform produces editorially-curated lifestyle content spanning travel, entertainment, food and drink, shopping, wellness, and local recommendations, distributed through a network of 25+ city-specific website editions across Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Byron Bay, Hobart, Adelaide, Townsville), New Zealand (Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown, Wellington), Asia (Bali, Hong Kong, Osaka, Singapore, Tokyo), and international destinations (Barcelona, Fiji, London, New York, Paris, Rome). The company targets lifestyle-oriented consumers aged 25-45 and monetizes through a hybrid model combining branded content partnerships, display advertising, and a subscription-based email newsletter (Urban List Insiders) that delivers curated weekly recommendations to subscribers.
The business is content-led and direct-to-consumer, with readers accessing editorial content free of charge while the company sells native advertising and sponsored article placements to lifestyle and hospitality brands. Named partners include Europcar (Parallel Paradise travel series), Myer (annual Christmas Gift Guide), Paramount+ (Notes From The GOAT entertainment series), Disney Cruise Line, Flight Centre, Big Dog Pet Foods, and Brisbane City Council. The platform is led by founder and CEO Susannah George, operates with 11-50 employees, and has pursued a geographic expansion strategy over its 14-year history to become one of the larger independent lifestyle media brands in the ANZ region.
Urban List firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Urban List
- Legal name
- LABORE Pty Ltd
- Website
- https://theurbanlist.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Urban List is an Australian digital lifestyle media platform operating 25+ city-specific editions across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and international destinations, producing editorially-curated content on travel, food, and entertainment for urban consumers aged 25-45, monetized through branded content, advertising, and a newsletter subscription.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Urban List industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Lifestyle Media Publishing
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local & City Guide Content Aggregators (MPACAKAJ)
Keywords
Where Urban List is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Surry Hills
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Urban List business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Branded Content and Sponsored Articles: Urban List creates sponsored and branded content partnerships with brands across travel, food, entertainment, and lifestyle categories. Brands partner with Urban List to create sponsored articles, destination guides, and promotional content that reaches Urban List's engaged audience.
- Advertising: Display advertising and promotional placements on the Urban List website and digital platforms.
- Email Newsletter Subscriptions: Urban List Insiders email newsletter program providing curated content recommendations to subscribers.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Urban List product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Urban List is a digital lifestyle media publisher that produces and distributes editorially curated content covering travel, entertainment, food and drink, shopping, and local experiences across more than 20 city-specific editions in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and international destinations. The company monetizes this content primarily through branded content partnerships, sponsored articles, and display advertising sold to lifestyle, hospitality, and consumer brands, with a secondary subscription-based email newsletter (Urban List Insiders) that supports audience engagement and repeat reach.
Product overview
Urban List is a digital media publication platform providing curated lifestyle content across travel, entertainment, food and drink, wellness, and local recommendations. The platform operates through a network of city-specific editions covering Australian cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Byron Bay, Hobart, Adelaide, Townsville), New Zealand (Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown, Wellington), and international destinations (Bali, Hong Kong, Osaka, Singapore, Tokyo, Barcelona, Fiji, London, New York, Paris, Rome). Content is distributed via the primary website, location-specific subdomains, and a subscription newsletter service (Urban List Insiders). The platform also features a business directory for listed venues and partnered content with external brands.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Urban List Insiders Email Newsletter Subscription email newsletter delivering curated weekly recommendations on events, new openings, dining, travel, and lifestyle experiences to engaged urban consumers; serves as a direct audience engagement channel and a distribution surface for brand sponsorships.
- Branded Content and Sponsored Articles Custom branded content partnerships and sponsored article series created by Urban List editors for brands in travel, hospitality, food and beverage, entertainment, beauty, and retail; designed to reach Urban List's urban lifestyle audience through native, editorial-style content.
- Display Advertising on Urban List Network Display advertising and promotional placements across Urban List's network of city-specific website editions, providing brands with targeted access to engaged urban lifestyle consumers across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and international destinations.
Companies that use Urban List
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Urban List technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Urban List partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- EuropcarminorEuropcar sponsors the Parallel Paradise destination guide series, featuring curated travel content highlighting destinations accessible through Europcar vehicle rentals.
- Disney Cruise LineminorDisney Cruise sponsors branded content articles on the Urban List platform promoting cruise travel experiences.
- MyerminorMyer sponsors the annual Christmas Gift Guide content series, featuring curated gift recommendations from Urban List editors.
- Paramount+minorParamount+ sponsors the Notes From The GOAT entertainment content series featuring TV and movie recommendations.
- Big Dog Pet FoodsminorBig Dog Pet Foods sponsors pet-related content including the Jess Murphy Dog Bond partnership article.
- Flight CentreminorFlight Centre sponsors travel deal content including the Asia Sale promotional articles featuring Contiki trip packages.
- Brisbane City Council / Brisbane DevelopmentminorBrisbane Redefined partnership featuring curated Brisbane destination and development content sponsored by Brisbane City Council initiatives.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Urban List competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Yelp: Yelp is a user-review platform for local businesses including restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues, serving as a destination for urban consumers researching where to go. It overlaps with Urban List on local-discovery use cases and competes for local business advertising dollars.
Direct peers
- Broadsheet: Broadsheet is an Australian digital publisher covering food, culture, design, and travel across Australian cities, with a similar editorial-led, branded-content revenue model. It directly competes with Urban List in its home Australian market.
- Concrete Playground: Concrete Playground is an APAC-based digital city guide covering Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, and other regional cities with curated lifestyle, dining, and travel content. It is a near-direct peer in geography, format, and monetization approach.
- Thrillist: Thrillist is a digital lifestyle and travel publisher producing city guides, food coverage, and branded content for millennial audiences. It competes with Urban List for both readers and travel/hospitality brand dollars.
- The Infatuation: The Infatuation is a city-by-city restaurant and lifestyle recommendation platform with editorial reviews, newsletters, and branded content partnerships. It mirrors Urban List's content-led, multi-city approach with a stronger food-and-dining focus.
- Eater: Eater is a Vox Media-owned digital publication covering restaurant news, reviews, and city dining guides across major US and international cities. It overlaps with Urban List on the food and local-discovery content vertical and on native advertising revenue.
- Time Out: Time Out is a global city-guide media brand producing curated editorial on restaurants, bars, travel, and cultural events across dozens of cities. It is the closest direct competitor to Urban List, sharing the same city-edition structure, content-led model, and native advertising monetization.
Broad incumbents
- Condé Nast Traveler: Condé Nast Traveler is a major global travel publication covering destinations, hotels, and dining with a high-end editorial voice. It overlaps with Urban List's travel content and is a likely competitor for premium travel and hospitality brand partnerships.
- Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a global travel-guide publisher with destination content, city guides, and a much broader international scope than Urban List. It is an incumbent in the same editorial travel-discovery category but operates at significantly larger scale and is owned by NC2 Media.
- Tripadvisor: Tripadvisor is the largest user-generated city and travel review platform, competing with Urban List for restaurant, hotel, and attraction discovery queries. Its scale, SEO dominance, and breadth make it a broad incumbent rather than a head-to-head editorial peer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Urban List social profiles
Digital presenceUrban List financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Urban List leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Urban List funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Urban 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 Urban List
What does Urban List do?
Urban List is a digital lifestyle media publisher that produces and distributes editorially curated content covering travel, entertainment, food and drink, shopping, and local experiences across more than 20 city-specific editions in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and international destinations. The company monetizes this content primarily through branded content partnerships, sponsored articles, and display advertising sold to lifestyle, hospitality, and consumer brands, with a secondary subscription-based email newsletter (Urban List Insiders) that supports audience engagement and repeat reach.
Is Urban List a public or private company?
Urban List is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Urban List founded?
Urban List was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Urban List based?
Urban List is headquartered in Surry Hills, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Urban List make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Branded Content and Sponsored Articles are the primary driver. The others are advertising and email Newsletter Subscriptions.
Who are Urban List's main competitors?
Yelp is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Broadsheet, Concrete Playground, Thrillist, The Infatuation, Eater and Time Out. Broad incumbents are Condé Nast Traveler, Lonely Planet and Tripadvisor.
Does Urban List have an API?
No public API is recorded for Urban List.
What industry is Urban List in?
Urban List's product category is Digital Lifestyle Media Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAKAJ, Local & City Guide Content Aggregators.