Comparison · 17 material differences
Dynamite Circle vs The Economic Club of Chicago
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 Dynamite Circle
Founders of bootstrapped, profitable, location-independent businesses in software, e-commerce, services and media.
Invitation-only community
The Economic Club of Chicago
Chicago-area business and civic leaders at C-suite level or reporting directly to a chief executive
What the records say
- Role or title: Dynamite Circle: Business founder; freelancers, employees, multi-level marketers, C-suite executives, upper management and department heads are excluded; The Economic Club of Chicago: Top-level leadership, C-suite, or reporting directly to the CEO, with operational oversight and P&L responsibility.
- Minimum company revenue: Dynamite Circle: At least US$100,000 per year in business revenue (standard DC membership); The Economic Club of Chicago: Company generates at least US$10 million in annual revenue.
- Minimum employees: Dynamite Circle: No published minimum employees; The Economic Club of Chicago: Company employs 25 or more people.
- Geographic restriction: Dynamite Circle: No published geographic restriction; The Economic Club of Chicago: Chicago-area business and civic leadership.
- Annual dues: Dynamite Circle: $697 a year; The Economic Club of Chicago: Not publicly disclosed. Neither the membership page nor the Club's own membership brochure names a dues figure..
Side by side
| Dynamite Circle | The Economic Club of Chicago | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Invitation-only community | Invitation-only community |
| Founded | 2011 (Founded in 2011 by Dan Andrews and Ian Schoen, who had started the Tropical MBA podcast in 2009.) | 1927 (Founded in 1927 by leaders who set out to "aid in the creation and expression of an enlightened public opinion on the important economic and social questions of the day".) |
| Headquarters | Not documented | Chicago, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Members in 50+ countries and 200+ cities, with in-person meetups across seven continents and annual conferences in Bangkok and Mexico City. | Chicago and Illinois; members are drawn from the city's business, civic, cultural and nonprofit leadership |
| Members | 1,400as of September 2026 | 2,400as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | 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. | No chapters. The Club participates in a reciprocity programme with the Economic Clubs of New York and Washington, D.C. |
| Primary audience | Founders of bootstrapped, profitable, location-independent businesses in software, e-commerce, services and media. | Chicago-area business and civic leaders at C-suite level or reporting directly to a chief executive |
| Typical member | 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. | Around 70 per cent of members are C-suite executives. Candidates are expected to have operational oversight with profit-and-loss responsibility at a company generating at least US$10 million in annual revenue and employing 25 or more people, and to have a record of civic engagement. Government and nonprofit candidates are assessed under separate criteria. |
| Qualification | ||
| 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 ↗ | Top-level leadership, C-suite, or reporting directly to the CEO, with operational oversight and P&L responsibilityGovernment and nonprofit candidates are considered under separate criteria that are not published.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| 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 ↗ | Company generates at least US$10 million in annual revenuePublished as part of the Club's candidate criteria.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum employees | No published minimum employees | Company employs 25 or more peoplePublished alongside the revenue test.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Geographic restriction | No published geographic restriction | Chicago-area business and civic leadershipThe Club describes its membership as reflecting the diversity of the city and state; no formal residence rule is published.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | Yes |
| Sponsor required | No | Yes |
| Application process | 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. | Six steps. Two current members agree to sponsor the candidate and send a secure link for the biography and application. Both sponsors write letters of support. The candidate attends a Club meeting, preferably with a sponsor. A representative of the relevant membership subcommittee reviews the application and decides whether to interview. The Membership Committee then elects candidates at its quarterly meetings. |
| Selectivity | "Only a fraction of applicants are accepted", per the requirements page; no acceptance rate is published. | Not publicly disclosed. The Club describes a rigorous application and election process and reports a 92 per cent renewal rate, but publishes no acceptance rate. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $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 ↗ | Not publicly disclosed. Neither the membership page nor the Club's own membership brochure names a dues figure.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 |
| Event costs | 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 ↗ | The Club publishes detailed membership criteria and a six-step admission process but no fee schedule. |
| Membership term | Annual | Annual; the Club reports a 92 per cent membership renewal rate |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | 200+ local meetups a year plus 13+ organised events annually; DC BLACK masterminds meet monthly | Keynote speaker programmes through the year, member forums several times a year, and smaller Member Exchanges |
| 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 | Large keynote events plus small, member-driven Member Exchanges; no standing confidential forums are described |
| Confidentiality | Not publicly disclosed beyond a published code of conduct | Not publicly disclosed; keynote programmes are published on the Club's YouTube channel |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Virtual, Event-focused, Forum-based | Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Partial |
| Local chapters | Partial | No |
| Virtual membership | Yes | No |
| Online community | Yes | Partial |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Partial | Yes |
| Leadership development | Partial | Partial |
| Retreats | Yes | No |
| Travel | Partial | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | Not documented | No |
| Next-generation programming | No | Partial |
| Investment discussions | Partial | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | Not documented | Partial |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | High | Medium |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Dynamite Circle · The Economic Club of Chicago