Comparison · 13 material differences
Convene vs Tugboat Institute
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
Peer advisory
Verified September 2026 Convene
Christian CEOs, business owners and presidents in the United States, with parallel tracks for C-suite executives and other senior leaders in their organisations
Peer advisory
Tugboat Institute
Chief executives, presidents and executive chairs with significant ownership of private companies that have deliberately rejected the venture-backed or IPO path, with at least…
What the records say
- Role or title: Convene: CEO & Owner teams: CEOs, business owners and presidents; Tugboat Institute: Must be the CEO, President or Executive Chairperson of the company.
- Minimum company revenue: Convene: No published minimum company revenue; Tugboat Institute: At least US$10M in annual revenue.
- Minimum ownership stake: Convene: No published minimum ownership stake; Tugboat Institute: Must hold a significant ownership stake; the business must be closely held with value-aligned owners who have no legal right to compel a sale or IPO.
- Annual dues: Convene: Not publicly disclosed. Convene's own membership page states: "Membership pricing is based on multiple factors, including company size, annual revenue, location, team type, and more. For accurate pricing information, please contact our team."; Tugboat Institute: Not publicly disclosed. No membership fee appears anywhere on the public site; prospective members are routed to a pre-application and a follow-up conversation..
Side by side
| Convene | Tugboat Institute | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Peer advisory | Peer advisory |
| Founded | 1996 ("In 1996, Brian Thatcher and five pioneering CEOs founded Convene" per its own story page, which also marks 2026 as its thirtieth anniversary. The organisation began as the "BBL Forum", started by Brian Thatcher and Ric Green out of Saddleback Church.) | 2013 (The About Us page dates the founding to 2013, when Dave Whorton - previously a founder of four Silicon Valley companies and an investor at two venture and private equity firms - coined the term "Evergreen" and, with the help of Chris Alden, created Tugboat Institute following a small gathering of leaders in Sun Valley, Idaho in October of that year.) |
| Headquarters | Anaheim Hills, United States | Sun Valley, United States |
| Geographic footprint | United States, with in-person and online teams; Convene also runs international teams. It does not publish a public list of team locations, only a zip-code search | United States focused, with local in-person forums grouped by member geography and virtual "elastic" forums; the pre-application form accepts company addresses in any country. |
| Members | Not publicly disclosed as a current figure. Convene states it has served "2000+ member companies over the last 25+ years", which is cumulative rather than active membership. | Not publicly disclosed. The organization refers to drawing on "hundreds of Evergreen companies" for its content platform but publishes no membership total. |
| Chapters | Not publicly disclosed. Convene's locations page is a zip-code and team-type search rather than a published list; its team directory uses opaque internal identifiers. | The organization runs local in-person forums based on member geography plus virtual forums, but does not publish a count or a list of locations. |
| Primary audience | Christian CEOs, business owners and presidents in the United States, with parallel tracks for C-suite executives and other senior leaders in their organisations | Chief executives, presidents and executive chairs with significant ownership of private companies that have deliberately rejected the venture-backed or IPO path, with at least US$10 million in annual revenue. |
| Typical member | Members are Christian business leaders. Teams are composed of 10-15 peers from non-competing industries. Convene publishes no revenue or headcount threshold, though it says pricing depends partly on company size and annual revenue, implying a size-banded structure. | Members must lead a closely held private company whose owners have no legal right to compel a sale or flotation, must hold a significant ownership stake themselves, and must have five years as chief executive or president of the current company or prior experience in that role. The company must have at least US$10 million in annual revenue, be cash-flow positive for two years and show consistent growth. |
| Qualification | ||
| Role or title | CEO & Owner teams: CEOs, business owners and presidentsverified September 2026 · source ↗ | Must be the CEO, President or Executive Chairperson of the company"Prospective members must be the CEO, President, or Executive Chairperson of an Evergreen company with a significant ownership stake."verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum company revenue | No published minimum company revenue | At least US$10M in annual revenueAccompanied by two further financial tests: cash-flow positive for two years, and consistent growth.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum ownership stake | No published minimum ownership stake | Must hold a significant ownership stake; the business must be closely held with value-aligned owners who have no legal right to compel a sale or IPONo percentage is specified. The ownership test effectively excludes companies with investors who can force an exit.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | Sometimes |
| Application process | Prospective members submit a membership application or enquiry form on the website; Convene then makes contact to explore fit before placing the candidate on a team with a Chair. There is no published sponsor or nomination requirement. | Candidates who believe they meet the criteria complete a two-step pre-application covering personal details and company information: legal structure, year founded, annual revenue for the last fiscal year, employee count, number of years profitable, website and address. The organization says it reviews every pre-application in detail and that a member of the team then makes contact to discuss next steps. Staff biographies refer to a candidacy process and to working with member referrals. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed. Convene says it will "reach out to explore if this is the right next step" but publishes no acceptance data or screening standard. | Not publicly disclosed. The criteria are published in full but no acceptance rate, application volume or waitlist information is given. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | Not publicly disclosed. Convene's own membership page states: "Membership pricing is based on multiple factors, including company size, annual revenue, location, team type, and more. For accurate pricing information, please contact our team."verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed. No membership fee appears anywhere on the public site; prospective members are routed to a pre-application and a follow-up conversation.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 | Tugboat Institute publishes detailed eligibility criteria but no pricing of any kind. |
| Event costs | Not publicly disclosed. Pricing varies by company size, annual revenue, location and team type and is quoted only on enquiry. | Not publicly disclosed. The Summit, Exemplar Visit and Gathering of Teams are described as member experiences without published pricing.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Membership term | Not documented | Not publicly disclosed |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | One full business day a month with the team, plus a 60-90 minute one-to-one coaching session with the Chair, and annual regional and national gatherings | Forum groups meet through the year, locally in person or virtually; three annual gatherings - the Summit each summer in Sun Valley, the Exemplar Visit at a member company each autumn, and the Gathering of Teams in February |
| Peer forums | Teams of 10-15 Christian business leaders from non-competing industries, led by a Convene Chair who is a seasoned business coach; teams run in person and online | Confidential forum groups described as a structured environment balancing personal growth and business insight; members join either a local in-person forum based on geography or an "elastic" forum that meets virtually through the year and in person at Tugboat events |
| Confidentiality | Teams are described as peer-advisory groups of non-competing leaders; Convene does not publish a written confidentiality code | The organization describes its forums as "a safe space" and its community as defined by trust; it publishes no written confidentiality policy. |
| Time commitment | About one full business day a month plus a 60-90 minute coaching session | Not documented |
| Organized as | Forum-based, Chapter-based, Event-focused, Virtual | Forum-based, Event-focused, Chapter-based, Virtual |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Yes |
| Local chapters | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Partial |
| Online community | Partial | Yes |
| Member directory | Partial | Not documented |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | Partial | Yes |
| Travel | No | Partial |
| Family programming | Yes | Partial |
| Spouse and partner programming | Partial | Not documented |
| Next-generation programming | Partial | Partial |
| Investment discussions | Partial | No |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | Yes | No |
| Networking emphasis | Medium | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Convene · Tugboat Institute