Comparison · 19 material differences
The Economic Club of Chicago vs Helm
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 The Economic Club of Chicago
Chicago-area business and civic leaders at C-suite level or reporting directly to a chief executive
Invitation-only community
Helm
Founders and CEOs of UK scale-up businesses past about £3 million in revenue
What the records say
- Role or title: The Economic Club of Chicago: Top-level leadership, C-suite, or reporting directly to the CEO, with operational oversight and P&L responsibility; Helm: Founder or CEO of the business.
- Minimum company revenue: The Economic Club of Chicago: Company generates at least US$10 million in annual revenue; Helm: £3m+ revenue, or more than £3m raised.
- Minimum employees: The Economic Club of Chicago: Company employs 25 or more people; Helm: Team size around 20 full-time equivalents.
- Geographic restriction: The Economic Club of Chicago: Chicago-area business and civic leadership; Helm: United Kingdom scale-up businesses.
- Annual dues: The Economic Club of Chicago: Not publicly disclosed. Neither the membership page nor the Club's own membership brochure names a dues figure.; Helm: £1,450 a year.
Side by side
| The Economic Club of Chicago | Helm | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Invitation-only community | Invitation-only community |
| Founded | 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".) | 2003 (Founded as The Supper Club in 2003 by Duncan Cheatle; rebranded to Helm. Helm's own site states the 2003 founding on every page footer line and in its FAQ.) |
| Headquarters | Chicago, United States | London, United Kingdom |
| Geographic footprint | Chicago and Illinois; members are drawn from the city's business, civic, cultural and nonprofit leadership | United Kingdom: events across London and regional UK hubs, plus a digital community; Helm does not publish a full list of hubs |
| Members | 2,400as of September 2026 | 400as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | No chapters. The Club participates in a reciprocity programme with the Economic Clubs of New York and Washington, D.C. | Helm has no chapters. It runs Forum groups and events in London and regional UK hubs but does not publish a hub list or a Forum count. |
| Primary audience | Chicago-area business and civic leaders at C-suite level or reporting directly to a chief executive | Founders and CEOs of UK scale-up businesses past about £3 million in revenue |
| Typical member | 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. | Members are founders and CEOs of UK scale-ups, with average member turnover of about £21 million according to Helm's own comparison page. Businesses span SaaS, deep tech, biotech, property, manufacturing and retail. Non-founder executives, advisers and service providers are explicitly not admitted. |
| Qualification | ||
| Role or title | 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 ↗ | Founder or CEO of the business"non-founder executives, advisers and service providers are not admitted as members".verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum company revenue | Company generates at least US$10 million in annual revenuePublished as part of the Club's candidate criteria.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | £3m+ revenue, or more than £3m raisedHelm's published qualification panel: "Revenue £3m+ (or, raised >£3m)".verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum employees | Company employs 25 or more peoplePublished alongside the revenue test.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Team size around 20 full-time equivalentsHelm's qualification panel gives "Team size 20 FTEs"; its FAQ says "a team of around 20 or more".verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| 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 ↗ | United Kingdom scale-up businessesverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | Yes | No |
| Sponsor required | Yes | No |
| Application process | 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. | A short application form (Helm says two to five minutes), then a 30-minute qualifying call with the membership team to check fit and identify a suitable Forum. Helm describes committee approval within about 48 hours, followed by a 45-minute onboarding call. Forum placement follows an introductory conversation with the prospective Forum Chair and happens within one to three months of joining. |
| Selectivity | 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. | No acceptance rate is published. Helm states that every application is reviewed for fit and that non-founder executives, advisers and service providers are not admitted. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | Not publicly disclosed. Neither the membership page nor the Club's own membership brochure names a dues figure.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | £1,450 a yearClub membership: "£1,450 /per annum" on Helm's Get Started page. In-person experiences are pay-as-you-go at this tier.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Monthly dues | The Club publishes detailed membership criteria and a six-step admission process but no fee schedule. | £495 a monthA Helm comparison landing page quotes "£495 Joining Fee + £495 per month" (about £5,940 a year), which conflicts with the annual figures on the Get Started page. Both are Helm's own pages; the discrepancy is unresolved.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 | £495 one-time"£495 Joining Fee" per Helm's comparison landing page. No joining fee appears on the Get Started page.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Membership term | Annual; the Club reports a 92 per cent membership renewal rate | Annual, cancellable at any time under the published membership agreement |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Keynote speaker programmes through the year, member forums several times a year, and smaller Member Exchanges | Forum meets ten times a year (about three hours a month) plus an annual retreat; Helm runs two to three events a week, roughly 160 a year |
| Peer forums | Large keynote events plus small, member-driven Member Exchanges; no standing confidential forums are described | Chaired Forum groups of six to eight founders, capped at eight, matched on business size, experience level, personality mix and Chair expertise; Chairs are experienced or exited founders |
| Confidentiality | Not publicly disclosed; keynote programmes are published on the Club's YouTube channel | Events run under the Chatham House Rule; Forum is described as absolutely confidential ("What's discussed at Helm stays at Helm") |
| Time commitment | Not documented | About three hours a month for Forum; Helm states there is no fixed overall commitment and that members typically attend an event every one to two months |
| Organized as | Event-focused | Forum-based, Event-focused, Virtual |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | Yes |
| Local chapters | No | Partial |
| Virtual membership | No | Partial |
| Online community | Partial | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Partial | Yes |
| Retreats | No | Yes |
| Travel | No | Partial |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | Partial | No |
| Investment discussions | Partial | Yes |
| Investment opportunities | No | Partial |
| Philanthropic component | Partial | Partial |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | High |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: The Economic Club of Chicago · Helm