Comparison · 10 material differences
Athena Alliance vs Ellevate Network
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
Networking organization
Verified September 2026 Athena Alliance
Experienced, high-achieving women and non-binary executives, board directors, investors and founders pursuing board seats, portfolio careers or a career transition
Networking organization
Ellevate Network
Professional women at all career stages, from early career through senior executive, plus corporate partners buying membership for their employees
What the records say
- Role or title — Athena Alliance: No single job title is required; Athena states it assesses "the substance of your experience - scope of leadership, influence, and accomplishments" rather than matching a fixed list of titles; Ellevate Network: No published role or title.
- Gender — Athena Alliance: "Individual Athena membership is only for women and non-binary people. Our enterprise offerings are for cohorts of both women and men."; Ellevate Network: Ellevate describes itself as "the largest community of women at work" and states its mission as "creating a world where everyone belongs by helping women who challenge the status quo thrive at work".
- Annual dues — Athena Alliance: $6,000 a year; Ellevate Network: Prices are recorded from Ellevate's own pricing page as it stood in August 2023. The current Hivebrite-hosted site does not display membership tiers or prices to visitors who are not logged in, so present-day pricing could not be verified..
Side by side
| Athena Alliance | Ellevate Network | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Networking organization | Networking organization |
| Founded | Not documented | 1997 (Founded in 1997 as 85 Broads by Janet Hanson, "one of the first women to be promoted to sales management at Goldman Sachs"; the name referred to Goldman Sachs's former headquarters at 85 Broad Street in New York. Rebranded as Ellevate Network in 2014.) |
| Headquarters | United States | United States |
| Geographic footprint | Predominantly virtual, with more than 100 in-person gatherings a year across the United States and seven rotating summits; the team is described as globally located and location is stated not to be a barrier to membership | Local chapters, mostly in United States cities with a small international presence; Ellevate's chapters page listed 27 chapters in 2023, including Dubai, Madrid and Toronto |
| Members | Not publicly disclosed. Athena publishes programme statistics - over 600 women supported to boards, 16,000+ salon participants, 3,000+ peer group participants - but no current member total. | Not publicly disclosed. Ellevate describes itself as "the largest community of women at work" but publishes no member number. |
| Chapters | No chapters | 27 |
| Primary audience | Experienced, high-achieving women and non-binary executives, board directors, investors and founders pursuing board seats, portfolio careers or a career transition | Professional women at all career stages, from early career through senior executive, plus corporate partners buying membership for their employees |
| Typical member | "Athena members are experienced, high-achieving women who are actively exploring and pursuing their next chapter - whether that means taking on a board seat, shifting industries, starting something new, or leveling up their current work." Most have significant leadership experience; Athena states no single job title is required and that it assesses scope of leadership, influence and accomplishments instead. Average member tenure is 3.4 years. | Professional women across industries and career stages. Ellevate's tiers distinguish general members from senior executives: the Executive tier's Squads programme was described as connecting "other senior executives", while Pro-tier Squads were open more broadly. |
| Qualification | ||
| Role or title | No single job title is required; Athena states it assesses "the substance of your experience - scope of leadership, influence, and accomplishments" rather than matching a fixed list of titlesMembers in career transition are explicitly welcomedverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published role or title |
| Gender | "Individual Athena membership is only for women and non-binary people. Our enterprise offerings are for cohorts of both women and men."verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Ellevate describes itself as "the largest community of women at work" and states its mission as "creating a world where everyone belongs by helping women who challenge the status quo thrive at work"Ellevate does not publish an explicit rule on whether men may join; the organisation's programming, chapters and Squads are addressed to women. Recorded as stated rather than as an exclusion.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | Three steps: complete a brief application, schedule a consultation with a Membership Consultant, then receive a personalised membership invitation. Prospective members can explore Athena beforehand through the free Portfolio of Impact assessment or by attending selected public virtual salon sessions. | Members sign up online and choose a tier; there is no application form, sponsor, interview or vetting step. New members are pointed to a live welcome session, described as Ellevate 101. Corporate partners buy access for groups of employees separately. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed. Athena describes an application and consultation process leading to a membership invitation, but publishes no acceptance rate. | Not applicable: Ellevate is an open-enrolment community with no published eligibility test or acceptance process. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $6,000 a year"Athena membership costs $6,000 annually. It includes access to virtual salons and peer groups, in-person summits and gatherings, a full content library, Athena Academy courses, and a dedicated Member Engagement Advisor." The term runs twelve months from activation and renews automatically using the payment method on file, with reminders sent in advance.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Prices are recorded from Ellevate's own pricing page as it stood in August 2023. The current Hivebrite-hosted site does not display membership tiers or prices to visitors who are not logged in, so present-day pricing could not be verified. |
| Monthly dues | Payment can be made in full by card, ACH or payment link, or through a payment plan, which Athena describes as "a schedule on the annual membership, not a month-to-month subscription". Employer sponsorship is not required and many members pay individually. | $40 a monthPro tier: "$40.00/mo when paying up front", recorded from Ellevate's own pricing page as archived on 1 August 2023. Includes the Squads mastermind programme, free virtual event tickets, 50% off most in-person events and the Experts programme.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Programme fee | Additional Academy courses and coaching sessions with Athena's Expert Strategists can be purchased beyond what membership covers; prices are not published.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Prices are recorded from Ellevate's own pricing page as it stood in August 2023. The current Hivebrite-hosted site does not display membership tiers or prices to visitors who are not logged in, so present-day pricing could not be verified. |
| Membership term | Twelve months from activation, renewing automatically | Monthly or annual subscription; prices quoted per month when paid up front |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Monthly salons and peer groups, more than 100 in-person gatherings a year and seven rotating summits | Local chapter meet-ups and workshops, virtual Roundtables and Community Circles, executive events and the annual Mobilize Women summit |
| Peer forums | Peer groups and peer networking circles alongside virtual salons; each member also works with a dedicated Member Engagement Advisor | Squads: small facilitated mastermind groups running for twelve weeks, with a separate Executive Squads track |
| Confidentiality | Not publicly disclosed | Ellevate describes Roundtables and Community Circles as "safe spaces"; no formal confidentiality policy is published |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Squads run as a twelve-week programme; other participation is optional |
| Organized as | Virtual, Cohort-based, Event-focused | Chapter-based, Cohort-based, Virtual, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Yes |
| Local chapters | No | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Yes |
| Online community | Yes | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | Partial | No |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | Partial | No |
| Investment discussions | Partial | No |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | Partial |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
Next
Last verified: not yet reviewed
Report an error on this page
Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Athena Alliance · Ellevate Network