Comparison · 13 material differences
ACG vs Invest Europe
This comparison was generated on request from the records. It carries no editorial verdict and is not indexed. The published comparisons are listed on the compare page.
Read down each column for one organization, across a row for the difference. A bronze mark at the left of a cell means the organizations differ on that row. A dash or “not published” means the organization does not disclose the fact; it is not a zero.
Verified September 2026
Professional association
Verified September 2026 ACG
Middle-market mergers and acquisitions professionals: private equity investors, corporate development officers, lenders, investment bankers, lawyers, accountants and advisers…
Professional association
Invest Europe
European private equity, venture capital and infrastructure fund managers and the institutional investors who back them
What the records say
- Maximum age at joining: ACG: Reduced young-professional rates are limited to first-time members aged 35 and under; Invest Europe: No published maximum age at joining.
- Geographic restriction: ACG: No published geographic restriction; Invest Europe: Full members must be located in Europe.
- Annual dues: ACG: Dues are set by each chapter, so the amounts above are examples rather than a national schedule.; Invest Europe: Not publicly disclosed: neither the membership page nor the become-a-member page publishes a subscription rate; enquiries are directed to the Head of Membership & Sponsorship.
Side by side
| ACG | Invest Europe | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Professional association | Professional association |
| Founded | 1954 | 1983 (Founded in 1983 as the European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (EVCA); renamed Invest Europe in 2015) |
| Headquarters | Chicago, United States | Brussels, Belgium |
| Geographic footprint | 61 local markets worldwide, grouped into seven regions (Canada, Central, Europe, Great Lakes, Northeast, Southeast, West); most chapters are in North America, with chapters in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom | Members based in 57 countries, 42 of them in Europe; offices in Brussels and London |
| Members | 14,000as of September 2026 | 650as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | 61 | Not applicable: Invest Europe has no chapters; it organises members into four platforms |
| Primary audience | Middle-market mergers and acquisitions professionals: private equity investors, corporate development officers, lenders, investment bankers, lawyers, accountants and advisers, plus PE-backed CEOs | European private equity, venture capital and infrastructure fund managers and the institutional investors who back them |
| Typical member | Members come from corporations, private equity firms, lenders and professional service firms working on middle-market transactions. ACG reports that 75% of members say they have done business with another member. Specialist networks exist for corporate development officers, family offices, PE-backed CEOs, operating partners, women and young professionals. | Full members are private equity, venture capital and infrastructure firms and the investors in those funds, including large European pension funds and insurers, funds of funds, secondaries funds and banks. Associate members are advisers and service providers: law firms, consultants, financial advisers, academic institutions and NGOs. Honorary membership is reserved for national private equity associations. |
| Qualification | ||
| Maximum age at joining | Reduced young-professional rates are limited to first-time members aged 35 and underApplies to discounted categories only (for example ACG New York's Forward membership, available for a maximum of two years); standard membership has no age limitverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published maximum age at joining |
| Geographic restriction | No published geographic restriction | Full members must be located in Europeverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | Sometimes |
| Application process | Applicants pick a chapter using ACG's chapter locator and join or renew through the central portal at my.acg.org. There is no published interview, sponsorship or committee review; payment of chapter dues completes membership. A member referral programme exists but referral is not required. | Prospective members first check the member search tool to see whether their firm already holds membership, then apply through the become-a-member page or contact the Head of Membership & Sponsorship directly. Applications are assessed against the platform criteria and the Professional Standards Handbook code of conduct. Honorary applicants (national associations) must supply references from two current full members and are considered case by case. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed: ACG publishes no acceptance criteria or rejection data, and membership appears to be open to anyone working in middle-market M&A who pays chapter dues | Not publicly disclosed: Invest Europe publishes eligibility criteria but no acceptance data |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | Dues are set by each chapter, so the amounts above are examples rather than a national schedule. | Not publicly disclosed: neither the membership page nor the become-a-member page publishes a subscription rate; enquiries are directed to the Head of Membership & Sponsorshipverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosed: no separate initiation fee was found; the first-year rate is higher than the renewal rate at some chaptersverified September 2026 | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 |
| Local chapter dues | $725 a yearACG New York standard membership, first yearverified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed. Invest Europe publishes no fee schedule for any membership category. |
| Membership term | Annual, renewed through the chapter | Annual |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | More than 1,200 events a year across the network; individual chapters typically run monthly or more frequent programmes, plus national conferences including DealMAX | A year-round conference and training calendar including the Venture Capital Forum and the Investors' Forum |
| Peer forums | No confidential peer forums; members organise through chapters and seven cross-chapter specialist networks (corporate development officers, family offices, PE-backed CEOs, operating partners, Women of ACG, young professionals) | No peer-forum structure; members organise through four membership platforms and their councils |
| Confidentiality | Could not be independently verified: no published confidentiality policy was found | Could not be independently verified: no published confidentiality policy was found beyond the Professional Standards Handbook |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Chapter-based, Event-focused | Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | No |
| Local chapters | Yes | No |
| Virtual membership | No | No |
| Online community | Partial | Partial |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Partial | Yes |
| Leadership development | Partial | Partial |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | No |
| Investment discussions | Yes | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | Yes | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | Medium |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Low |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: ACG · Invest Europe