How much do Chief and Founders Network cost?

Chief: Chief Membership $5,900/year + $500 new member fee; Chief Signature $9,800/year (official Membership Experience PDF). (verified 2026-09-15). Founders Network: Launch $75/mo; Scale $134/mo; Lead $249/mo (annual commitments). Lifetime plan amount Not published. (verified 2026-09-15). Prices are shown verbatim from public sources; nothing is estimated.

What are the requirements for Chief vs Founders Network?

Chief: Builders path only: $2M+ annual revenue or venture funding (or past CXO/VP+ at credentialed companies). Designed for 15+ years leadership experience. Categories: C-Suite, Senior Leaders & Executives, Builders. Criteria effective 10/2025. Not for early career or soliciting business. Founders Network: No single floor; tiers by experience — Launch (pre-revenue–$10K / self-funded–$100K raised); Scale ($10K–$1M / $100K–$3M raised); Lead ($1M+ / $3M+ raised). Full-time tech startup founder (no service firms); invite-only with membership committee approval; no selling/pitching.

Which is better for venture-backed founders?

Founders Network is venture-specific. Chief is not. The fit is Founders Network when you want a venture-scale room.

Last verified 2026-09-15

Chief vs Founders Network

Chief is a hybrid facilitated forum with paid facilitator. Founders Network is a hybrid community platform with peer-led. This page compares cost, requirements, format, and stage fit using verified public data. Chief: Senior women leaders seeking Guide-led Core peer advisory, coaching, and executive programming. Founders Network: Full-time tech startup founders who want a vetted peer community and stage-tiered mentoring without giving equity.

Side-by-side

Field	Chief	Founders Network
Format	hybrid	hybrid
Structure	facilitated forum	community platform
Facilitation	paid facilitator	peer-led
Group size	Core (Jan 2026): C-Suite & Executive Leader 10–12; Builder & Navigator 15–20	Peer Advisory Roundtables: 10 to 12; community 600+
Stage fit	This group is not framed by VC stage.	Pre-seed and seed, Series A
Revenue / capital floor	Builders path only: $2M+ annual revenue or venture funding (or past CXO/VP+ at credentialed companies).	No single floor; tiers by experience — Launch (pre-revenue–$10K / self-funded–$100K raised); Scale ($10K–$1M / $100K–$3M raised); Lead ($1M+ / $3M+ raised).
Annual cost	Chief Membership $5,900/year + $500 new member fee; Chief Signature $9,800/year (official Membership Experience PDF).	Launch $75/mo; Scale $134/mo; Lead $249/mo (annual commitments). Lifetime plan amount Not published.
Application model	application	invite-only
Venture-specific	No	Yes
Other requirements	Designed for 15+ years leadership experience. Categories: C-Suite, Senior Leaders & Executives, Builders. Criteria effective 10/2025. Not for early career or soliciting business.	Full-time tech startup founder (no service firms); invite-only with membership committee approval; no selling/pitching.
Time commitment	Core: 6 × 90-minute meetings per year (~every two months), plus optional programming; or 4 × 1-hour coaching sessions/year	Flexible; 100+ events/year available; Lead includes monthly peer roundtables
Geography	US Clubhouses (NYC, SF, Chicago, DC) plus virtual and national events	Global chapters including SF, Silicon Valley, LA, Seattle, Vancouver, NYC, London
Best for	Senior women leaders seeking Guide-led Core peer advisory, coaching, and executive programming.	Full-time tech startup founders who want a vetted peer community and stage-tiered mentoring without giving equity.
Not for	Early-career professionals or anyone joining primarily to solicit business.	Service-firm operators, non-founders, or people looking to sell inside the network.
Last verified	2026-09-15	2026-09-15

Verdict by stage

Pre-seed and seed

At Pre-seed and seed, Founders Network lists this stage. Chief does not. The fit is Founders Network for this stage band.

Series A

At Series A, Founders Network lists this stage. Chief does not. The fit is Founders Network for this stage band.

Growth

At Growth, neither group lists this stage as a primary fit. Chief is not framed by VC stage. Founders Network targets Pre-seed and seed, Series A.

Late stage

At Late stage, neither group lists this stage as a primary fit. Chief is not framed by VC stage. Founders Network targets Pre-seed and seed, Series A.

FAQ

How much do Chief and Founders Network cost?: Chief: Chief Membership $5,900/year + $500 new member fee; Chief Signature $9,800/year (official Membership Experience PDF). (verified 2026-09-15). Founders Network: Launch $75/mo; Scale $134/mo; Lead $249/mo (annual commitments). Lifetime plan amount Not published. (verified 2026-09-15). Prices are shown verbatim from public sources; nothing is estimated.
What are the requirements for Chief vs Founders Network?: Chief: Builders path only: $2M+ annual revenue or venture funding (or past CXO/VP+ at credentialed companies). Designed for 15+ years leadership experience. Categories: C-Suite, Senior Leaders & Executives, Builders. Criteria effective 10/2025. Not for early career or soliciting business. Founders Network: No single floor; tiers by experience — Launch (pre-revenue–$10K / self-funded–$100K raised); Scale ($10K–$1M / $100K–$3M raised); Lead ($1M+ / $3M+ raised). Full-time tech startup founder (no service firms); invite-only with membership committee approval; no selling/pitching.
Which is better for venture-backed founders?: Founders Network is venture-specific. Chief is not. The fit is Founders Network when you want a venture-scale room.

Chief profile·Founders Network profile

Sources

Primary public pages used for the fields above.

chief.com/membershipRetrieved 2026-09-15 · Chief
chief.com/membership-criteriaRetrieved 2026-09-15 · Chief
assets.chief.com/marketing/Chief_Membership_Experience.pdfRetrieved 2026-09-15 · Chief
foundersnetwork.comRetrieved 2026-09-15 · Founders Network
foundersnetwork.com/benefitsRetrieved 2026-09-15 · Founders Network
foundersnetwork.com/media-kitRetrieved 2026-09-15 · Founders Network