Comparison · 18 material differences
EO vs Hampton
Two founder organizations with facilitated small groups, separated by industry focus, revenue floor, geography and what is published about cost.
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.
Entrepreneurs' Organization
Owners, founders and majority stakeholders of companies with at least US$1 million of annual revenue.
Hampton
Founders and CEOs of high-growth technology or tech-enabled companies who live in one of Hampton's chapter cities.
EO and Hampton both put founders in a facilitated small group that meets monthly, and both are built for people who own the business. The differences are in scope and disclosure. EO admits owners and founders in any industry with US$1 million in revenue, across more than 220 chapters worldwide, and publishes global dues and initiation. Hampton admits founders of technology and tech-enabled companies with more than US$3 million in revenue (or the funding and exit alternatives), only in its eighteen chapter cities, with a hard rule that its Core groups meet in person; it publishes no price and secondary reports of it disagree. EO's forum is moderated by a member; Hampton's Core has a paid professional facilitator.
Side by side
| Entrepreneurs' Organization | Hampton | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Peer advisory | Peer advisory |
| Founded | 1987 (Founded as the Young Entrepreneurs' Organization (YEO) by Verne Harnish with 22 entrepreneurs as founding board members; renamed Entrepreneurs' Organization after the 2005 merger with the World Entrepreneurs' Organization.) | Not documented |
| Headquarters | Alexandria, United States | New York, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Chapters across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific | 18 cities across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom |
| Members | 20,568as of September 2026 | 1,000as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | 226 | 18 |
| Primary audience | Owners, founders and majority stakeholders of companies with at least US$1 million of annual revenue. | Founders and CEOs of high-growth technology or tech-enabled companies who live in one of Hampton's chapter cities. |
| Typical member | Members are business owners rather than hired executives, and must hold controlling or majority ownership. EO states its member companies' median annual revenue is US$4 million, so the typical member runs a company well above the US$1 million entry threshold but far below YPO-scale businesses. | Members are founders and CEOs of internet, technology or tech-enabled businesses. Hampton states the average member company has about US$23 million in annual revenue on its FAQ and around US$20 million on its about page, well above the US$3 million entry threshold. |
| Qualification | ||
| Minimum company revenue | US$1,000,000 in revenue in the most recent fiscal yearStandard test.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | More than US$3,000,000 in revenueOne of three alternative tests. Hampton raised the revenue minimum from US$1 million to US$3 million; the founder announced the change publicly in 2024.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum employees | Minimum 10 employees (venture-backed route only)Attached to the funding-based qualification, not to the revenue route.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published minimum employees |
| Minimum capital raised | Venture-backed alternative: at least US$2,000,000 privately raised, or US$5,000,000 publicly raisedApplies instead of the revenue test for venture-backed companies; requires a minimum of 10 employees.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | More than US$3,000,000 raised in venture capitalAlternative to the revenue test.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum exit value | No published minimum exit value | A previous successful exit above US$10,000,000Alternative to the revenue and funding tests.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum ownership stake | Must be the owner, founder or majority stakeholder of the businessverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published minimum ownership stake |
| Geographic restriction | No published geographic restriction | Must reside in one of Hampton's chapter citiesHampton places members only into in-person Core groups, so residence in a chapter city is a condition of membership.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Industry restriction | No published industry restriction | Founder or CEO of a fast-growing digital, internet, technology or tech-enabled companyverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | Not documented | No |
| Application process | Applications go to a local chapter, which reviews the candidate against the eligibility criteria and then schedules an interview to discuss their interest in EO. Accepted members go through onboarding within three months, including orientation, Forum training and placement into a Forum. | Candidates apply through Hampton's site and are vetted against the revenue, funding or exit tests, the industry test and residence in a chapter city. Accepted members hold a commitment call and are then placed into a Core group in their city. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed by Hampton. A secondary account reports an 8 per cent acceptance rate, which Hampton does not confirm. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $2,470 a yearGlobal dues, prorated by fiscal month; chapter dues are additional.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed. Hampton's FAQ states only that "membership involves an annual investment", billed annually. Secondary sources report figures that conflict: US$8,500 a year in one account and US$15,000 a year in another. A 45-day money-back guarantee applies to annual dues for members who attend their initial commitment call.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | $3,500 one-timeOne-time fee stated on EO's apply-for-membership page.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed. One secondary account states there is no separate initiation fee.verified September 2026 |
| Local chapter dues | Not publicly disclosed. EO states chapter dues "vary by local chapter policies" and publishes no schedule.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Hampton does not publish its price on its own site, and secondary reports disagree. |
| Membership term | Annual renewal; global dues prorated by fiscal month on joining | Annual, billed yearly, with a 45-day money-back guarantee for new members who attend their initial commitment call |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Forum meets on a regular monthly cadence set by each Forum; chapters run additional events, with regional and global events through the year | Core meets monthly in person, excluding August and December, for about three hours |
| Peer forums | Forum is a small confidential peer group operating under a structured protocol; EO does not publish a standard Forum size on the pages reviewed. | Core groups of about eight founders plus a paid professional facilitator, composed on a mirror, mentor and mentee model; Core is never virtual. |
| Confidentiality | Forum operates under confidentiality; EO publishes membership eligibility procedures and a policies-and-procedures document rather than the Forum rules themselves. | Core is described as a confidential peer group; Hampton does not publish the text of its confidentiality rules. |
| Time commitment | Not documented | About three hours a month for Core, ten months a year, plus optional events |
| Organized as | Chapter-based, Forum-based, Event-focused | Chapter-based, Forum-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Yes |
| Local chapters | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual membership | No | No |
| Online community | Yes | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Partial |
| Leadership development | Yes | Partial |
| Retreats | Yes | Yes |
| Travel | Partial | Partial |
| Family programming | Partial | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | Partial | Not documented |
| Next-generation programming | Not documented | No |
| Investment discussions | Not documented | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | Not documented | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
Which is more appropriate for whom
Editorial analysis, separated from the record above. It follows the methodology. Neither organization is declared better; the question is fit.
EO tends to suit founders in any industry, founders below Hampton's revenue floor, founders outside Hampton's cities, and anyone who wants a chapter community with a global calendar rather than a sector peer group. Hampton tends to suit technology founders in its cities who want a room of people at a similar stage in a similar business and who value professional facilitation. The two are not exclusive; founders who qualify for both sometimes hold both memberships, using EO for the community and Hampton for the Core group.
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Entrepreneurs' Organization · Hampton