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Chief vs Vistage

Chief is a hybrid facilitated forum with paid facilitator. Vistage is a hybrid facilitated forum with paid facilitator. 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. Vistage: CEOs and owners who want a Chair-facilitated confidential peer group with coaching, across a wide range of company sizes.

Side-by-side

FieldChiefVistage
Formathybridhybrid
Structurefacilitated forumfacilitated forum
Facilitationpaid facilitatorpaid facilitator
Group sizeCore (Jan 2026): C-Suite & Executive Leader 10–12; Builder & Navigator 15–2012 to 16
Stage fitThis group is not framed by VC stage.Series A, Growth, Late stage
Revenue / capital floorBuilders path only: $2M+ annual revenue or venture funding (or past CXO/VP+ at credentialed companies).Chief Executive program: $5M+ revenue / typically 20+ employees. Small Business program: $1–4M revenue.
Annual costChief Membership $5,900/year + $500 new member fee; Chief Signature $9,800/year (official Membership Experience PDF).Not published
Application modelapplicationapplication
Venture-specificNoNo
Other requirementsDesigned for 15+ years leadership experience. Categories: C-Suite, Senior Leaders & Executives, Builders. Criteria effective 10/2025. Not for early career or soliciting business.CEO/owner peer groups of non-competing members; Chair-led. Qualify via form.
Time commitmentCore: 6 × 90-minute meetings per year (~every two months), plus optional programming; or 4 × 1-hour coaching sessions/yearMonthly peer group meetings plus monthly 1:1 with Chair; speakers and events
GeographyUS Clubhouses (NYC, SF, Chicago, DC) plus virtual and national eventsGlobal chapters; local groups
Best forSenior women leaders seeking Guide-led Core peer advisory, coaching, and executive programming.CEOs and owners who want a Chair-facilitated confidential peer group with coaching, across a wide range of company sizes.
Not forEarly-career professionals or anyone joining primarily to solicit business.Founders who need a venture-scale-only room or who reject paid facilitators.
Last verified2026-09-152026-09-14

Verdict by stage

Pre-seed and seed

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

Series A

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

Growth

At Growth, Vistage lists this stage. Chief does not. The fit is Vistage for this stage band.

Late stage

At Late stage, Vistage lists this stage. Chief does not. The fit is Vistage for this stage band.

FAQ

How much do Chief and Vistage cost?
Chief: Chief Membership $5,900/year + $500 new member fee; Chief Signature $9,800/year (official Membership Experience PDF). (verified 2026-09-15). Vistage: Not published (verified 2026-09-14). Prices are shown verbatim from public sources; nothing is estimated.
What are the requirements for Chief vs Vistage?
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. Vistage: Chief Executive program: $5M+ revenue / typically 20+ employees. Small Business program: $1–4M revenue. CEO/owner peer groups of non-competing members; Chair-led. Qualify via form.
Which is better for venture-backed founders?
Neither Chief nor Vistage is marked venture-specific in the dataset. Compare revenue floors and stage fit instead.
Chief profile·Vistage profile

Sources

Primary public pages used for the fields above.