Comparison · 17 material differences
Endeavor vs LAVA
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
Leadership network
Verified September 2026 Endeavor
Founders of high-growth, scale-up stage companies headquartered outside the largest developed startup markets
Networking organization
LAVA
Participants in the Los Angeles venture ecosystem: venture capitalists, limited partners, family offices, angel investors, founders of venture-backed companies, and the…
What the records say
- Maximum age at joining: Endeavor: No published maximum age at joining; LAVA: Young VC membership requires the member to be employed by a venture firm and under 40.
- Role or title: Endeavor: No published role or title; LAVA: VC Partner membership is for partners at venture firms, or analysts and associates at those firms.
- Minimum company revenue: Endeavor: Most candidates in the selection process have US$500,000 to US$10 million in annual revenue; LAVA: No published minimum company revenue.
- Geographic restriction: Endeavor: Main operations or headquarters must be based in an Endeavor market; LAVA: Los Angeles and Southern California focus.
- Annual dues: Endeavor: No membership dues are published; Endeavor is a non-profit funded by donors and by Endeavor Catalyst rather than by entrepreneur fees.; LAVA: $485 a year.
Side by side
| Endeavor | LAVA | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Leadership network | Networking organization |
| Founded | 1997 (Founded by Linda Rottenberg and Peter Kellner in 1997.) | 1984 (LAVA's About page says it was established in 1984 as the Los Angeles Venture Club; its homepage gives 1985. The two dates were not reconciled.) |
| Headquarters | New York, United States | Los Angeles, United States |
| Geographic footprint | 42 market offices across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and the United States and Canada | Greater Los Angeles and Southern California |
| Members | 2,900as of September 2026 | Not publicly disclosed |
| Chapters | 42 | No chapters. LAVA organises internally into industry committees, affinity groups and special interest groups rather than geographic chapters. |
| Primary audience | Founders of high-growth, scale-up stage companies headquartered outside the largest developed startup markets | Participants in the Los Angeles venture ecosystem: venture capitalists, limited partners, family offices, angel investors, founders of venture-backed companies, and the professional services firms around them |
| Typical member | Endeavor Entrepreneurs are founders of companies that have found product-market fit and are scaling. Endeavor states that most entrepreneurs entering its selection process have between US$500,000 and US$10 million in annual revenue, and that the average three-year compound annual growth rate across its entrepreneurs exceeds 100 per cent. | LAVA's own description covers limited partners, venture capitalists, family offices, angel investors, founders, incubators, accelerators, universities, researchers, mentors, government officials and legal, accounting, marketing and PR service providers. Its membership tiers price these groups differently, with separate rates for entrepreneurs, investors, VC partners, limited partners and academics. |
| Qualification | ||
| Maximum age at joining | No published maximum age at joining | Young VC membership requires the member to be employed by a venture firm and under 40Carries a reduced rate and access to young-VC events.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Role or title | No published role or title | VC Partner membership is for partners at venture firms, or analysts and associates at those firmsGives access to investor-only events.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum company revenue | Most candidates in the selection process have US$500,000 to US$10 million in annual revenueEndeavor frames this as a description of typical candidates at the scale-up inflection point rather than a hard cut-off.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published minimum company revenue |
| Geographic restriction | Main operations or headquarters must be based in an Endeavor market"Your main operations or HQ are based out of an Endeavor market." Endeavor invites diaspora founders from its markets to make contact even if this is not met.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Los Angeles and Southern California focusThe academic researcher rate is described as a discounted rate for local academics.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | Sometimes | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | Founders complete a short form on the Endeavor site, choosing the local Endeavor office they wish to apply through. Local staff screen and, if the company fits, the founder enters a process of one-on-one mentorship and panel sessions. The process culminates in an International Selection Panel at which global business leaders, including existing Endeavor Entrepreneurs serving as panellists, interview candidates and deliberate before selecting. | Membership is bought online through LAVA's member portal by selecting a category. There is no published application review, sponsorship or interview stage; category eligibility appears to rest on self-declaration. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed. Endeavor publishes no acceptance rate; outside reporting has described the process as running roughly twelve to eighteen months. | Not publicly disclosed. Some events are invitation-only within the membership (investor-only and LP/VC-only formats), but membership itself is open paid enrolment. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | No membership dues are published; Endeavor is a non-profit funded by donors and by Endeavor Catalyst rather than by entrepreneur fees.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | $485 a yearPremium individual membership, annual ($50 a month on the monthly plan)verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Endeavor publishes no fee schedule for entrepreneurs. Its stated funding model combines philanthropic support with Endeavor Catalyst, a rules-based co-investment fund that takes allocations in eligible rounds of selected companies. | Not publicly disclosed; no joining fee appears alongside the published dues.verified September 2026 |
| Membership term | Open-ended once selected; Endeavor Entrepreneurs remain in the network and are expected to mentor and serve as selection panellists | Annual, with a monthly option on the premium individual tier |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Local and regional office programming, sector Vertical sessions, network gatherings and the year-long Endeavor Outliers cohort | Live and virtual events year-round, including investor round tables, syndication screenings, VC check-ins and private mixers, plus annual events such as Meet the VC, First Look SoCal and the LAVA Awards |
| Peer forums | Local and regional entrepreneur communities anchored to the selecting office, plus sector-based Verticals | Industry committees across more than a dozen sectors, affinity groups (Women In LAVA, Young VCs at LAVA, university alumni groups), special interest groups and sector divisions |
| Confidentiality | Endeavor describes itself as a "Network of Trust" and states that it safeguards founders' interests; no written confidentiality policy is published | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Chapter-based, Event-focused | Event-focused, Virtual |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Partial |
| Local chapters | Yes | No |
| Virtual membership | No | Yes |
| Online community | Not documented | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Partial |
| Leadership development | Yes | No |
| Retreats | Yes | No |
| Travel | Yes | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | No | Yes |
| Investment discussions | Yes | Yes |
| Investment opportunities | Yes | Yes |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Low | Medium |
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