What May First Technology Collective does

May First Movement Technology, operating as May First Technology Collective, is a member-owned non-profit cooperative founded in 2005 that provides digital infrastructure services to progressive social movement organizations in the United States and Mexico. It was restructured into a binational cooperative in 2019 with formal member voting rights and a 25-person board, and operates offices in Brooklyn, New York and Mexico City.

Its core products comprise managed web hosting, email hosting, cloud file sharing via Nextcloud, video conferencing via Jitsi Meet, voice conferencing via Mumble, live streaming, and DDoS protection delivered in partnership with eQualit.ie. The technology stack is exclusively free/libre open source software, positioning the cooperative as an alternative to commercial hyperscale cloud providers for movement organizations that require both technical reliability and political alignment. Named member organizations include Black Lives Matter and the BDS National Committee, with hundreds of member organizations across the US and Mexico.

The business model is structured as member dues: organizations pay recurring fees scaled to usage (sites, mailboxes, storage, video users) to access the collective infrastructure. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, consistent with a small non-profit cooperative on the order of 11-50 staff. Strategic positioning emphasizes participatory governance, anti-surveillance infrastructure, and cross-border solidarity between US and Mexican social movements, with no disclosed AI/ML capability.

Name

May First Technology Collective

Legal name

May First Movement Technology

Website

https://mayfirst.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

May First Technology Collective is a member-owned cooperative providing FOSS-based web hosting, email, file sharing, and video conferencing to hundreds of progressive social movement organizations across the United States and Mexico through a binational governance structure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Managed Digital Infrastructure Services

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Privacy-First & Decentralized Social Networks (BPAMABAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Audio & Live Community Platforms (BPAMABAH), Community/Group Chat Platforms (BPAMACAH), Interest-Based Communities (Forums & Topic Hubs) (MPACAJAC)

Keywords

• Digital infrastructure cooperative
• Web hosting services
• Open source technology
• DDoS protection services
• Movement technology services

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: May First is a member-run cooperative that generates revenue through membership dues and fees for hosting and technology services. Individual and organizational members pay dues; organizational member votes count twice in governance. Pricing plans and tiers are available at membership-options/plans-pricing/.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

May First Movement Technology provides member-managed digital infrastructure services, including web hosting, email and mailing lists, cloud file sharing via Nextcloud, video and audio conferencing (Jitsi Meet and Mumble), live streaming, online chat (Jabber/XMPP), and DDoS attack protection for social movement organizations and individual activists in the US and Mexico. All services are delivered exclusively over free/libre open source software running on cooperatively owned servers and operated by the member-run cooperative.

Product overview

May First Movement Technology operates as a member-run technology collective offering a comprehensive suite of digital infrastructure services centered on social movement organizing. The core offering includes web hosting, email/mailing list management, cloud file sharing via Nextcloud, video conferencing through Jitsi Meet, audio conferencing using Mumble, and real-time chat via Jabber/XMPP. Additional services include live streaming capabilities, DDoS protection through the Deflect network, and member account management through a dedicated control panel. All services are provided with an emphasis on free/libre open source software, accessibility, and movement-rooted values.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Web Hosting Managed web hosting for member organizations, supporting WordPress, Drupal, and other content management systems, run on member-owned infrastructure.
• Email and Mailing Lists Email hosting and mailing list management services using Mailman software for member communication and outreach.
• Cloud File Sharing (Nextcloud) Cloud-based file sharing and storage platform using Nextcloud, enabling members to store, share, and collaborate on documents securely.
• Video Conferencing (Jitsi Meet) Open-source video and audio meeting software for small groups (up to ~20 participants), accessible via web browser or dedicated application, hosted on May First's own Jitsi instance.
• Online Chat (Jabber/XMPP) Instant messaging and online chat service using the Jabber/XMPP protocol for real-time communication among members.
• Mumble Audio Conferencing Audio-only conferencing platform prioritizing accessibility with low-bandwidth support, simultaneous interpretation for multilingual participation, and unlimited user capacity.
• May First Live Streaming One-way audio and video broadcasting service allowing members to stream content to audiences via browser or mobile devices, with May First login credentials required.
• DDoS Attack Protection Network protection service using the Deflect DDoS protection platform to defend member websites against distributed denial-of-service attacks.

Quantifiable outcome

• Defended Black Lives Matter website against a DDoS attack generating over 15 million connections from a botnet of 12,000+ bots, keeping the site functional and accessible.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Research Action DesignminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 March 2022Collaborated with May First and others at MozFest 2022 on a session titled 'Co-ops -- an alternate model for decision-making around technology' on March 7, 2022.
• C4TechminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 March 2022Collaborated with May First and others at MozFest 2022 on a session titled 'Co-ops -- an alternate model for decision-making around technology' on March 7, 2022.
• eQualit.iecoreTechnology or Integration · 11 July 2016eQualit.ie provides the Deflect DDoS protection service, which May First uses to defend its member organizations' websites. During the July 2016 DDoS attack on Black Lives Matter (generating 15+ million connections from 12,000+ bots), this partnership was critical in keeping the BLM website online. May First has collaborated with eQualit.ie during most major DDoS attacks on MF/PL members, and the organizations have established defense protocols.
• Design Action CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 July 2016Design Action Collective supports Black Lives Matter (a May First member) and collaborates with May First on technology and design support for social justice organizations. Both organizations were co-signatories on the July 2016 statement regarding the DDoS attacks on Black Lives Matter's website.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• eQualit.ie: eQualit.ie operates the Deflect DDoS-protection service that May First uses to defend member sites; both are mission-aligned non-profits serving social movements and independent media with privacy and security tooling.
• Calyx Institute: Calyx Institute is a Brooklyn-based non-profit focused on privacy, encryption, and internet freedom, operating its own ISP and member-supported services; closely comparable to May First's Brooklyn location, membership model, and movement-tech mission.
• Riseup: Riseup is a volunteer-driven collective providing email, mailing lists, VPN, and chat to activists and social movements worldwide; it is the closest organizational analog to May First Movement Technology, sharing cooperative values, FOSS infrastructure, and a movement-rooted membership model.
• Autistici/Inventati: Autistici/Inventati is an Italian activist collective offering email, web hosting, mailing lists, and chat to movements using FOSS tooling under a similar political-ethics-driven cooperative posture to May First.
• Greenhost: Greenhost is a Dutch sustainable, values-driven web hosting provider widely used by NGOs and civil-society organizations; it overlaps with May First in serving mission-driven customers on shared FOSS infrastructure.
• Disroot: Disroot is a Netherlands-based collective providing privacy-respecting FOSS-based email, chat, cloud storage, and collaboration tools to activists; comparable to May First in mission, tooling stack, and member-funded model.

Others

• Open Technology Fund: OTF funds circumvention and secure-communications projects used by activists worldwide, including many that May First's members rely on; adjacent funder rather than direct competitor, but shapes the demand May First serves.
• Freedom of the Press Foundation: FPF funds and develops secure-communication tooling (SecureDrop) for journalists and works closely with movement-adjacent infrastructure providers like May First on shared privacy principles, though it focuses on journalism rather than hosting.
• Electronic Frontier Foundation: EFF is a leading digital-rights non-profit whose policy, litigation, and tooling work creates the broader ecosystem in which movement-tech cooperatives like May First operate, with significant overlap in FOSS advocacy and values alignment.

Broad incumbents

• Cloudflare: Cloudflare is the dominant commercial provider of DDoS protection, CDN, and web infrastructure; many of the hosting and security services May First offers to movements overlap with Cloudflare's portfolio, positioning it as the broader-incumbent alternative on the same problem set.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mayfirst
• Facebookfacebook.com/glasgowhomelesscaseworkersstrike

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 May First Technology Collective