Whole Earth Catalog

What Whole Earth Catalog does

Whole Earth Catalog is a publishing legacy entity founded in 1968 by Stewart Brand and published through Point Foundation, a Mill Valley, California-based nonprofit (EIN 94-2147154, founded 1967). The original Catalog functioned as a curated reference guide to tools, books, and ideas spanning whole systems, shelter, crafts, environment, communications, and community, and won the National Book Award while selling in the millions worldwide over an approximately 32-year run. The Catalog spawned an interconnected ecosystem of successor publications and platforms, including CoEvolution Quarterly, Whole Earth Review, Whole Earth Software Catalog, The WELL (Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, an early major online community), the Hackers Conference, and lineage into Wired magazine and the Cool Tools website.

Historically, revenue derived from one-time publication sales and recurring subscriptions, distributed through retail stores in Berkeley and San Francisco, direct mail subscriptions, and community-driven referrals within counterculture and environmentalist networks. Customer segments were horizontal: back-to-land and self-sufficiency enthusiasts, environmentalists and sustainability advocates, and tech entrepreneurs and digital pioneers. Distribution relied on word-of-mouth, retail presence, and subscription mailings rather than enterprise sales motions.

The entity today operates with 1-10 employees under President Danica Remy (since 1995) as a legacy steward rather than an active publishing operation. Activity is centered on commemorative events, including the 50th anniversary celebration at Cowell Theater and the San Francisco Art Institute Fort Mason exhibition (October 2018), a video documentary (Whole Earth Flashbacks), and tax-deductible donations through Point Foundation. The current go-to-market is community-led brand activation rather than commercial publishing.

Name

Whole Earth Catalog

Legal name

Point Foundation

Website

https://wholeearth50th.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Whole Earth Catalog is a nonprofit-backed publishing legacy founded in 1968 by Stewart Brand, operating as a counterculture reference catalog and ecosystem of interconnected publications and online communities, including The WELL, serving readers interested in self-sufficiency, sustainability, and holistic tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Book and Periodical Publishing

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Libraries and Archives (51921), Museums (712110)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Popular Science, Technology & Nature Trade Publishing (MPAJAAAJ)

Keywords

• Counterculture publishing
• Print catalog reviews
• Quarterly magazine subscriptions
• Online community platform
• Sustainable living media

Headquarters

HQ city

Mill Valley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Publication Sales: The Whole Earth Catalog and its various iterations were sold in retail stores and through subscriptions, generating revenue from print publication sales.
2. Magazine Subscriptions: CoEvolution Quarterly and Whole Earth Review were distributed through subscription models, providing recurring revenue from readers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Whole Earth Catalog publishes and distributes a family of print catalogs, quarterly periodicals, and associated online and video products that curate reviews of tools, books, and ideas for holistic, self-sufficient, and environmentally conscious living. The original Whole Earth Catalog (founded 1968) and its successors — CoEvolution Quarterly, Whole Earth Review, Whole Earth Software Catalog, The WELL online community, the Cool Tools website, and the Whole Earth Flashbacks documentary — are sold or distributed to individual readers, with the Point Foundation acting as publisher.

Product overview

Whole Earth Catalog is a historical publication ecosystem that operated from 1968-2000, comprising multiple interconnected publications and platforms. The core offering was the original Whole Earth Catalog, a reference tool featuring book and product reviews on whole systems, shelter, crafts, environment, communications, and community. This was supplemented by CoEvolution Quarterly, the Whole Earth Review, and the Whole Earth Software Catalog. The ecosystem also included The WELL (Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link), one of the first major online communities. The 50th anniversary in 2018 was commemorated with an exhibition, public event, and a video documentary titled 'Whole Earth Flashbacks.' The legacy continues through the Cool Tools website.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Whole Earth Catalog (Original)
• CoEvolution Quarterly
• Whole Earth Review
• Whole Earth Software Catalog
• The WELL (Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link)
• Cool Tools
• Whole Earth Flashbacks A half-hour video documentary created for the 50th anniversary, featuring the history of Whole Earth Catalog, Co-Evolution Quarterly, Hackers Conference, The WELL, Wired, Burning Man, and the 10,000 Year Clock.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• San Francisco Art InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2018Partnered with San Francisco Art Institute to host the 50th Anniversary Exhibition at their Fort Mason campus, featuring over 142 original catalog copies from October 14-28, 2018.
• Long Now FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2018Co-founded by Stewart Brand, Long Now Foundation co-sponsored the 50th anniversary celebration and shares organizational ties through shared leadership.
• Point FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2018Point Foundation is the publisher of Whole Earth publications and organized the 50th anniversary celebration. EIN 94-2147154, Founded 1967.
• WiredminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2018Co-founded by Kevin Kelly (Whole Earth Review publisher), Wired magazine co-sponsored the 50th anniversary event.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Psychology Today: Special interest magazine model comparable in how Whole Earth served its counterculture audience, though operating at much larger scale in mainstream consumer publishing. Useful as a comparison point for niche magazine business models.

Direct peers

• Mother Earth News: Founded in 1970 as a counterpart to Whole Earth Catalog, Mother Earth News focused on sustainable living, homesteading, and self-sufficiency. Direct peer in the counterculture/self-sufficiency publishing space, serving overlapping audiences with similar DIY content.
• Orion Magazine: Nonprofit environmental and cultural magazine that emerged from similar counterculture roots. Comparable as a mission-driven publication serving sustainability and holistic-living audiences with similar editorial approach to Whole Earth.
• The WELL: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, founded as a Whole Earth subsidiary, was one of the first major online communities. Listed as a subsidiary in company data and serves as a direct operating peer in the online community space.
• Cool Tools: Website co-founded by Kevin Kelly that continues the Whole Earth tradition of reviewing tools daily since 2003. Most directly comparable as a living continuation of the catalog concept, operated by former Whole Earth personnel and serving the same DIY/tool-discovery mission.
• Yes Magazine: Nonprofit solutions-focused magazine addressing sustainability, community, and social change. Comparable as a nonprofit publication serving similar values-oriented audiences and operating under a similar mission-driven editorial model.

Emerging players

• Wired Magazine: Co-founded in 1993 by Kevin Kelly (former Whole Earth Review publisher) and Louis Rossetto, Wired emerged directly from the Whole Earth ecosystem. Comparable as a publication that bridges technology, culture, and counterculture, though now operating at much larger scale as a major media brand.
• Make Magazine / Maker Media: Modern maker movement publication launched in 2005 that built on the DIY ethos pioneered by Whole Earth Catalog. Comparable as a tools-and-projects publication serving the maker community, though focused more narrowly on technology projects.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Whole Earth Catalog