Comparison · 15 material differences
Dynamite Circle vs Founders Forum
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
Founders Forum
Founders of high-growth technology companies, senior investors, corporate chief executives and senior policymakers
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; Founders Forum: No published role or title.
- Minimum company revenue: Dynamite Circle: At least US$100,000 per year in business revenue (standard DC membership); Founders Forum: No published minimum company revenue.
- Annual dues: Dynamite Circle: $697 a year; Founders Forum: Not applicable; Founders Forum has no standing membership and charges no dues..
Side by side
| Dynamite Circle | Founders Forum | |
|---|---|---|
| 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.) | 2005 ("Founders Forum started in 2005... Our community first convened at a 50-person event in London." Brent Hoberman is listed as co-founder and executive chair.) |
| Headquarters | Not documented | London, United Kingdom |
| Geographic footprint | Members in 50+ countries and 200+ cities, with in-person meetups across seven continents and annual conferences in Bangkok and Mexico City. | More than 40 forums held in over 20 cities worldwide, including Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, Tel Aviv, Mumbai, Paris and Hong Kong; the current calendar centres on London, Dubai, Singapore, North America, Europe and India |
| Members | 1,400as of September 2026 | 450as 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 group runs a set of branded forums by region and by role, including FF Global, FF MEASA, FF Asia, FF Europe, FF North America, FF India, the Founders Family Office Forum, Europe 100, the CMO Forum, the CFO Forum and a VC Summit. |
| Primary audience | Founders of bootstrapped, profitable, location-independent businesses in software, e-commerce, services and media. | Founders of high-growth technology companies, senior investors, corporate chief executives and senior policymakers |
| 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. | Attendees are founders of significant technology companies, venture investors and chief executives. The 2025 flagship drew 300 unicorn founders and 129 venture capitalists collectively managing $2.7 trillion, alongside corporate executives and government figures. |
| 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 ↗ | No published role or title |
| 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 ↗ | No published minimum company revenue |
| Invitation required | No | Yes |
| Sponsor required | No | Not documented |
| 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. | There is no application to a membership. Invitations are issued to specific forums; the site offers a register-your-interest form for the flagship event and an apply-to-exhibit route for companies wanting to demonstrate technology. Selection is curatorial and the criteria are not published. |
| Selectivity | "Only a fraction of applicants are accepted", per the requirements page; no acceptance rate is published. | Not publicly disclosed. The organisation publishes attendance composition for its flagship (450 entrepreneurs in 2025) but no acceptance rate or invitation volume. |
| 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 applicable; Founders Forum has no standing membership and charges no dues.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| 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 ↗ | Not publicly disclosed. No ticket price or attendance fee is published for any Founders Forum event; the forums carry named corporate partners.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Membership term | Annual | Not documented |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | 200+ local meetups a year plus 13+ organised events annually; DC BLACK masterminds meet monthly | A calendar of forums through the year: FF Global in June, FF MEASA in March, FF Asia and FF Europe in October, plus role-specific and regional forums |
| 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 | Panels, intimate breakout brainstorms and fireside chats, on the stated principle that every attendee could be a keynote speaker |
| Confidentiality | Not publicly disclosed beyond a published code of conduct | Not publicly disclosed. The organisation publishes an "InsideFF" write-up series from its flagship, so the forums are not wholly off the record. |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Two to three days per forum attended |
| 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 | Not documented |
| Member directory | Yes | No |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Partial | Partial |
| Leadership development | Partial | Partial |
| Retreats | Yes | Yes |
| Travel | Partial | Yes |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | Not documented | No |
| Next-generation programming | No | Partial |
| Investment discussions | Partial | Yes |
| Investment opportunities | No | Yes |
| Philanthropic component | Not documented | Partial |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | High | High |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Dynamite Circle · Founders Forum