Comparison · 15 material differences
Chief Executives Organization vs Dynamite Circle
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 Chief Executives Organization
Senior business leaders who have graduated from YPO and the wider family of "O" organisations, joining a capped, invitation-only community.
Invitation-only community
Dynamite Circle
Founders of bootstrapped, profitable, location-independent businesses in software, e-commerce, services and media.
What the records say
- Role or title: Chief Executives Organization: No published role or title; Dynamite Circle: Business founder; freelancers, employees, multi-level marketers, C-suite executives, upper management and department heads are excluded.
- Minimum company revenue: Chief Executives Organization: No published minimum company revenue; Dynamite Circle: At least US$100,000 per year in business revenue (standard DC membership).
- Annual dues: Chief Executives Organization: Not publicly disclosed. CEO publishes no dues, initiation fee or event pricing on its public site.; Dynamite Circle: $697 a year.
Side by side
| Chief Executives Organization | Dynamite Circle | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Invitation-only community | Invitation-only community |
| Founded | 1958 (Founded by H. Jack Dow in Chicago, who had reached YPO's age limit; established as the original graduate organisation of YPO. Earliest formal meetings were held in 1959 in Florida, Cleveland and Chicago, with the first large-scale event in Arizona in 1960.) | 2011 (Founded in 2011 by Dan Andrews and Ian Schoen, who had started the Tropical MBA podcast in 2009.) |
| Headquarters | Washington, United States | Not documented |
| Geographic footprint | Members in more than 62 countries; programming is delivered through global events and local gatherings rather than a chapter network | Members in 50+ countries and 200+ cities, with in-person meetups across seven continents and annual conferences in Bangkok and Mexico City. |
| Members | Not publicly disclosed as a current figure. CEO states membership is "by invitation only and capped at 2,000", but does not publish how many of those places are filled. | 1,400as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | Not publicly disclosed. CEO refers to "intimate local gatherings" alongside global events but publishes no chapter list or count. | No formal chapters. The organization runs local meetups in cities including Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Tokyo, Barcelona and Portland, and states it holds 200+ in-person meetups a year. |
| Primary audience | Senior business leaders who have graduated from YPO and the wider family of "O" organisations, joining a capped, invitation-only community. | Founders of bootstrapped, profitable, location-independent businesses in software, e-commerce, services and media. |
| Typical member | CEO states the average member age is 66 and that 31 per cent of members are under 60, with members drawn from more than 62 countries. Members are typically past the operating stage of their careers, having come through YPO or an affiliated organisation. | Members are business owners rather than freelancers or executives, running bootstrapped companies with consistent recurring revenue above US$100,000 a year; the premium tier is limited to founders above US$1 million. |
| Qualification | ||
| Role or title | No published role or title | Business founder; freelancers, employees, multi-level marketers, C-suite executives, upper management and department heads are excludedCertain professional categories are also excluded, specifically coaching, consulting and recruiting.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum company revenue | No published minimum company revenue | At least US$100,000 per year in business revenue (standard DC membership)The organization also requires consistent recurring revenue rather than one-off income.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | Yes | No |
| Sponsor required | Not documented | No |
| Application process | There is no public application route. CEO states that membership is by invitation only and capped at 2,000, and describes itself as a community for leaders coming out of YPO and the related "O" organisations. | Applicants confirm they meet six published requirements, agree to the code of conduct and submit an application with written answers about themselves and their business. A team member reviews each application personally and notifies the applicant within 48 business hours. DC BLACK adds a discovery call with the founder and revenue verification through a signed profit-and-loss statement, followed by facilitator-led placement into a mastermind group. Referrals from current members are encouraged. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed beyond the stated cap of 2,000 members. | "Only a fraction of applicants are accepted", per the requirements page; no acceptance rate is published. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | Not publicly disclosed. CEO publishes no dues, initiation fee or event pricing on its public site.verified September 2026 | $697 a yearStandard DC membership: "$697 per year - one-time annual payment", covering the online community, app and free local meetups.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Event costs | Not publicly disclosed. CEO runs roughly 25 global events a year but does not publish participation costs.verified September 2026 | Not publicly disclosed in aggregate. The events page states that local meetups and Juntos are typically free, and that "Global conferences and retreats have ticket prices that are listed on each event page".verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Membership term | Not documented | Annual |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Roughly 25 global events a year, plus seminars, webcasts and local gatherings | 200+ local meetups a year plus 13+ organised events annually; DC BLACK masterminds meet monthly |
| Peer forums | Not publicly disclosed. CEO's model is built on events and education rather than on facilitated peer forums. | Online community and mobile app for all members; DC BLACK members are placed in facilitated mastermind groups of five to seven peers matched by track |
| Confidentiality | Not publicly disclosed on the pages reviewed. | Not publicly disclosed beyond a published code of conduct |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Event-focused, Chapter-based | Virtual, Event-focused, Forum-based |
| Confidential peer forums | Not documented | Yes |
| Local chapters | Partial | Partial |
| Virtual membership | No | Yes |
| Online community | Partial | Yes |
| Member directory | Not documented | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Partial |
| Leadership development | Yes | Partial |
| Retreats | Yes | Yes |
| Travel | Yes | Partial |
| Family programming | Yes | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | Yes | Not documented |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | No |
| Investment discussions | Not documented | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | Not documented | Not documented |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | High | High |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Chief Executives Organization · Dynamite Circle