the co-lab

What the co-lab does

The co-lab is a member-led, inclusive global networking community serving brand professionals in the fashion, beauty, wellness, retail, and consumer luxury industries. Founded in 2020 by Kristy Hurt, the platform operates under Kristy Hurt Consulting Corporation and is positioned as an alternative to transactional industry networking, particularly for professionals geographically distant from traditional hubs such as New York, London, Paris, and Los Angeles. The community's core value proposition is facilitating warm professional connections that lead to referrals, project collaborations, mentorship, and job opportunities.

The product surface spans a paid membership community, weekly live events (including Café co-lab sessions), a podcast featuring member career stories, a member spotlight blog called The Colab Notes, a formal DEI initiative, a member ambassador program, and a recurring book club. The technology stack is a Squarespace-hosted website integrating membership enrollment, event registration, podcast distribution, and blog content; there is no mobile app, no disclosed proprietary technology, and no AI/ML capabilities. Marketing and distribution rely on organic social channels (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube) and member-driven referrals through the ambassador program.

Revenue is generated exclusively through recurring membership subscriptions sold to individual professionals; pricing is not publicly disclosed and there is no enterprise tier, sponsorship, or advertising revenue stream. The business is founder-led with a small undisclosed team, no disclosed funding rounds, no disclosed headcount, and no disclosed revenue figures. The customer base is highly distributed across individuals, and named brand affiliations (such as LVMH, Dior, Estee Lauder, Calvin Klein, and Coach) reflect member employer backgrounds rather than enterprise customers.

Name

the co-lab

Legal name

Kristy Hurt Consulting Corporation

Website

https://jointhecolab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

the co-lab is a member-led global networking community for fashion, beauty, wellness, retail, and consumer luxury professionals, offering paid membership subscriptions, weekly live events, a podcast, and member spotlights founded in 2020 by Kristy Hurt.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Networking Community

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Customer/User Conferences & Client Advisory Boards (THAHAMAD)

Keywords

• Professional networking community
• Brand professionals networking
• Membership community events
• Career development community
• Fashion industry networking

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: The co-lab generates revenue through paid membership subscriptions. Members pay to join the community to access networking opportunities, events, podcasts, and member resources. The community operates under Kristy Hurt Consulting Corporation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The co-lab operates a paid membership-based networking community for brand professionals in fashion, beauty, wellness, retail, and consumer luxury. Members gain access to weekly live virtual events, a podcast featuring member career stories, member spotlight interviews (The Colab Notes), a book club, a diversity/equity/inclusion initiative, and an ambassador program designed to foster warm professional connections and career development.

Product overview

The co-lab is a member-led, inclusive global networking community for brand professionals in fashion, beauty, wellness, retail, and consumer luxury. The platform operates as a unified community offering multiple interconnected services: a membership network for professional connections, live weekly events covering topics like networking, sustainability, and entrepreneurship, a podcast featuring member career stories, The Colab Notes member spotlight section, a DEI initiative, an ambassador program, and a book club. Members join for warm connections and career development, with the community hosting regular virtual and in-person events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Community A paid member-led, inclusive global networking community for individual brand professionals in fashion, beauty, wellness, retail, and consumer luxury, providing warm professional connections, career development resources, mentorship, referrals, and collaborative opportunities.
• Weekly Live Events Weekly live virtual sessions (Café co-lab and panel discussions) covering topics such as networking, sustainability, brand building, entrepreneurship, diversity in hiring, and consulting/freelancing, offered to community members.
• Podcast A podcast featuring members and guests sharing their career experiences and industry insights within the fashion, beauty, and retail industries.
• The Colab Notes (Member Spotlight) Published member spotlight interviews profiling community members' careers, backgrounds, and professional journeys in fashion, beauty, and retail.
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Initiative A community initiative focused on advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the fashion, beauty, and retail professional community.
• Co-Lab Ambassador Program A program that enables existing members to serve as ambassadors for the community, helping expand the network and support fellow brand professionals.
• Book Club Recurring book club meetings where members read industry-relevant books and discuss them together, including selections such as 'Start With Yourself: A New Vision for Work & Life' by Emma Grede.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members report signing projects with fellow members, receiving client referrals, and finding freelancers through the community
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Kristy Hurt ConsultingcoreOthersThe co-lab is operated by Kristy Hurt Consulting Corporation. Kristy Hurt is the founder of the community and provides strategic direction and management for the platform. The relationship is parent-subsidiary with shared branding and operational integration.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• WWD (Women's Wear Daily): Long-standing fashion industry news and events brand — targets the same professional buyer persona but as a media incumbent rather than a curated networking community.
• LinkedIn: Horizontal professional networking platform used by the same brand-professional audience for connections, content, and groups — the dominant free alternative the co-lab must differentiate against.
• Glossy: Fashion and beauty industry media with member events and research — adjacent in audience and content but operates at a broader, media-led scale rather than as a member community.
• The Business of Fashion: Established fashion-industry media, events, and BoF Professional education subscription — competes for the same brand professionals' attention and wallet with a broader, well-capitalized offering.

Direct peers

• Girlboss: Membership community and media brand for ambitious women across creative and business fields — comparable in subscription model, community-led GTM, and content-plus-events programming.
• Black in Fashion Council: Industry organization building community and advocacy for Black professionals across fashion, beauty, and retail — overlaps directly on target persona, vertical focus, and event-led engagement.
• Create & Cultivate: Membership and event-driven community for women in creative industries including fashion, beauty, and lifestyle — closely mirrors the co-lab's vertical positioning, subscription model, and live-event programming.
• Working Not Working: Invite-based creative talent network that curates designers, marketers, and brand professionals — directly comparable as a paid membership community serving the same buyer persona with curated introductions and referrals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCV-YBPtnl2_mCSlSz5aDQlg/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/jointhecolab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jointhecolab
• Instagraminstagram.com/jointhecolab
• Xx.com/jointhecolab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 the co-lab