Comparison · 9 material differences
BLCK VC 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 BLCK VC
Black venture capital investors, plus Black operators and recent graduates seeking to move into investing roles
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
- Gender: BLCK VC: No published gender; 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: BLCK VC: Not publicly disclosed: no membership dues are published; BLCK VC is funded by corporate sponsors and donations; 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
| BLCK VC | Ellevate Network | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Networking organization | Networking organization |
| Founded | 2018 (Founded in 2018 by Sydney Sykes, then at New Enterprise Associates, and Frederik Groce, then at Storm Ventures; both now serve as board co-chairs) | 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 | San Francisco, United States | United States |
| Geographic footprint | Eight chapters across North America: Atlanta, Boston, the DMV (Washington DC area), Los Angeles, the Midwest, New York City, San Francisco and Toronto | 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: BLCK VC does not publish a community or member count on its public pages | Not publicly disclosed. Ellevate describes itself as "the largest community of women at work" but publishes no member number. |
| Chapters | 8 | 27 |
| Primary audience | Black venture capital investors, plus Black operators and recent graduates seeking to move into investing roles | Professional women at all career stages, from early career through senior executive, plus corporate partners buying membership for their employees |
| Typical member | Members are Black investors working in venture capital, alongside participants in the organisation's pipeline programmes: operators training to become angel, scout or venture investors, and candidates preparing for entry-level analyst, associate and senior associate roles. | 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 | ||
| Gender | No published gender | 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 | Not documented | No |
| Application process | Applicants complete an online form linked from the Get Involved page and, once accepted, join the community's Slack portal. The three programmes (Black Venture Institute, Breaking into Venture and the Scout Network) have separate intakes. No sponsorship, interview or committee review is described publicly. | 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: no eligibility criteria or acceptance data are published | Not applicable: Ellevate is an open-enrolment community with no published eligibility test or acceptance process. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | Not publicly disclosed: no membership dues are published; BLCK VC is funded by corporate sponsors and donationsverified 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 | Not publicly disclosed. BLCK VC is a 501(c)(3) funded by sponsors and donations, and publishes no price for membership or programmes. | $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 | Not publicly disclosed: no fees are published for the Black Venture Institute, Breaking into Venture or the Scout Networkverified September 2026 | 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 | Not documented | Monthly or annual subscription; prices quoted per month when paid up front |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Chapter events run by volunteer leads in eight cities and regions, plus programme cohorts and community activity on Slack | Local chapter meet-ups and workshops, virtual Roundtables and Community Circles, executive events and the annual Mobilize Women summit |
| Peer forums | Slack-based member portal plus city and regional chapters; cohort-based programmes run separately | Squads: small facilitated mastermind groups running for twelve weeks, with a separate Executive Squads track |
| Confidentiality | Could not be independently verified: no published confidentiality policy was found | 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 | Chapter-based, Virtual, Cohort-based, Event-focused | Chapter-based, Cohort-based, Virtual, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | Yes |
| Local chapters | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Yes |
| Online community | Yes | Yes |
| Member directory | Not documented | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | No |
| Investment discussions | Yes | No |
| Investment opportunities | Partial | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | Partial |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: BLCK VC · Ellevate Network