Comparison · 20 material differences
Baby Bathwater Institute vs South Park Commons
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
Invitation-only community
Verified September 2026 Baby Bathwater Institute
Founders and owners of consumer, e-commerce and digital-service businesses, plus a smaller share of investors and advisers.
Invitation-only community
South Park Commons
Technical founders, researchers and domain experts between things - the site's phrase is "-1 to 0" - who can commit full time and live in San Francisco, New York or Bengaluru.
What the records say
- Role or title: Baby Bathwater Institute: Founder, co-founder, CEO, other C-suite, or strategic adviser; South Park Commons: No published role or title.
- Minimum company revenue: Baby Bathwater Institute: Guideline minimum of US$1M+ in revenue; South Park Commons: No published minimum company revenue.
- Minimum capital raised: Baby Bathwater Institute: Alternative guideline of US$3M+ raised, or an equivalent equity milestone; South Park Commons: No published minimum capital raised.
- Geographic restriction: Baby Bathwater Institute: No published geographic restriction; South Park Commons: Must live in and work from San Francisco, New York City or Bengaluru.
- Annual dues: Baby Bathwater Institute: $12,500 a year; South Park Commons: $0 a year.
Side by side
| Baby Bathwater Institute | South Park Commons | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Invitation-only community | Invitation-only community |
| Founded | 2014 (The organization's About page says it "began back in 2014 with one unforgettable party...and not a single business plan in sight". It was co-founded by Hollis Carter and Michael Lovitch.) | 2016 (The Our Story page dates the community to 2016 and describes its origin as ten people reading AI papers around founding member Ruchi Sanghvi's dining table, before a physical space opened in San Francisco's South Park neighbourhood.) |
| Headquarters | United States | San Francisco, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Events are held across the United States, Mexico, Canada and Europe; past locations include Croatia, Cabo San Lucas, Colorado, South Carolina, Louisiana, Idaho, California, Utah, New York and British Columbia. | Physical communities in San Francisco (380 Brannan St), New York City and Bengaluru; members must live in one of the three hubs. |
| Members | Not publicly disclosed on the organization's own pages, which describe "a few hundred founders". A December 2025 published interview with co-founder Hollis Carter cites "250+ active members". | 175as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | No chapters; the community is organised around events plus an app-based platform. | 3 |
| Primary audience | Founders and owners of consumer, e-commerce and digital-service businesses, plus a smaller share of investors and advisers. | Technical founders, researchers and domain experts between things - the site's phrase is "-1 to 0" - who can commit full time and live in San Francisco, New York or Bengaluru. |
| Typical member | The organization publishes a member composition breakdown: 65 per cent own seven- to nine-figure business-to-consumer businesses, 25 per cent provide digital services such as marketing, branding and growth, 5 per cent are influencers and up-and-comers, and 5 per cent are investors and mentors. | The FAQ states that about 70 percent of members are founders who aspire to start a company and 30 percent are researchers and experts going deeper in new fields. Members are expected to be full-time; those holding a full-time job are generally not accepted, with rare exceptions for visa or vesting reasons. Applicants who want to leave or take a sabbatical from university or academia are considered. |
| Qualification | ||
| Role or title | Founder, co-founder, CEO, other C-suite, or strategic adviserRoles offered on the application form.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published role or title |
| Minimum company revenue | Guideline minimum of US$1M+ in revenuePublished as one of three alternative business guidelines (US$1M+ revenue, US$500K profit, or US$3M+ raised or equivalent equity milestone). The organization states these are "guidelines, not a checklist".verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published minimum company revenue |
| Minimum capital raised | Alternative guideline of US$3M+ raised, or an equivalent equity milestoneOne of three alternative tests; the application form also offers routes for businesses under US$3M that have raised at least US$3M or had a prior seven-figure exit.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published minimum capital raised |
| Geographic restriction | No published geographic restriction | Must live in and work from San Francisco, New York City or BengaluruThe FAQ answers "Do I need to be located in SF, NYC, or Bangalore?" as yes; members are expected to work from SPC spaces through the week.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | A four-step process: a five-minute application covering the business; a personal review by the team; a two-way call described as a genuine conversation about fit; and then, on approval, an invitation with onboarding. The organization says every application is reviewed and that unsuccessful applicants receive feedback on fit rather than silence. | Applicants apply online to either the Member Residency or the Founder Fellowship. The organization says it reads every application and that applicants generally hear back within one to three weeks; those advancing are invited to an interview. Residency applications are accepted on a rolling basis year-round, while the Fellowship runs spring and autumn cohorts with application cut-offs and concentrated interview periods before each start. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed. No acceptance rate is published; the organization states that members are vetted for character as well as revenue and that the published business minimums are guidelines. | Not publicly disclosed. SPC publishes active member and alumni counts but no application volume or acceptance rate. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $12,500 a yearSingle published membership rate. The membership page states: "That's the whole number. No tiers, no a la carte add-ons, no surprise fees once you're in." Members also receive 50 per cent off all flagship, mastermind and adventure events.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | $0 a year"Is there a membership fee? No, we do not charge fees or dues." The India page repeats that the six-month residency is at "No cost or equity".verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Monthly dues | $1,250 a monthMonthly alternative to the annual rate, published on the same page.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | SPC does not sell membership. Its economics run through the SPC Fund, which the site says manages a US$575 million global pool and writes cheques from US$1 million to US$10 million. |
| Programme fee | Membership pricing is published; individual event ticket prices are not listed on the organization's events page. | $0 one-timeThe six-month Member Residency carries no fee and no equity. The separate Founder Fellowship is an investment, not a fee: US$400,000 for 7 percent via a SAFE plus US$600,000 guaranteed in the next venture round.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Event costs | Third-party reported figures: a December 2025 interview with co-founder Hollis Carter quotes live events at US$12,500 for non-members and US$6,250 for members. The organization's own events page lists no ticket prices; the 50 per cent member discount is confirmed on the membership page.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | SPC does not sell membership. Its economics run through the SPC Fund, which the site says manages a US$575 million global pool and writes cheques from US$1 million to US$10 million. |
| Membership term | One-year initial term, then month-to-month with 45 days' cancellation notice | Six-month Member Residency; Founder Fellowship recipients become lifetime members of the community |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Three to four flagship events a year (100-200 attendees), one to three masterminds (12-25 members) and one to three adventures (12-20 members), plus virtual sessions | Members work from SPC spaces through the week; peer accountability groups, learning forums, speaker series, workshops and roundtables run on an ongoing basis |
| Peer forums | Small-group hot seats with peers at a similar stage, plus The Tub app community and brokered one-to-one introductions | Peer accountability groups and member-led learning forums rather than assigned confidential forums; Fellowship cohorts are kept small at roughly one partner per two companies, with no demo day |
| Confidentiality | Not publicly disclosed; the organization publishes a no-pitching rule covering members, speakers and the organization itself | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Full time. The residency page states that "-1 to 0 isn't a side project. It's a full time endeavor." |
| Organized as | Event-focused, Virtual | Clubhouse premises, Cohort-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Yes |
| Local chapters | No | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Partial | No |
| Online community | Yes | Yes |
| Member directory | Partial | Not documented |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Partial | Yes |
| Leadership development | Partial | Partial |
| Retreats | Yes | No |
| Travel | Yes | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | Not documented | No |
| Next-generation programming | No | No |
| Investment discussions | Partial | Yes |
| Investment opportunities | No | Yes |
| Philanthropic component | Not documented | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | High | Medium |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Baby Bathwater Institute · South Park Commons