Comparison · 17 material differences
Founders Network vs Hampton
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
Networking organization
Verified September 2026 Founders Network
Full-time founders of technology startups, from idea stage through post-Series A, who want peer mentorship rather than capital or an accelerator programme.
Peer advisory
Hampton
Founders and CEOs of high-growth technology or tech-enabled companies who live in one of Hampton's chapter cities.
What the records say
- Role or title: Founders Network: Must be a full-time founder of a technology startup; Hampton: No published role or title.
- Minimum company revenue: Founders Network: No published minimum company revenue; Hampton: More than US$3,000,000 in revenue.
- Minimum capital raised: Founders Network: No published minimum capital raised; Hampton: More than US$3,000,000 raised in venture capital.
- Minimum exit value: Founders Network: No published minimum exit value; Hampton: A previous successful exit above US$10,000,000.
- Annual dues: Founders Network: $900 a year; Hampton: $15,000 a year.
Side by side
| Founders Network | Hampton | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Networking organization | Peer advisory |
| Founded | 2011 (The About page credits founder Kevin Holmes, a former tech startup founder, with starting the organization in 2011.) | Not documented |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, United States | New York, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Members in more than 25 cities worldwide; in-person chapter meetings named for San Francisco, Silicon Valley, New York, London and Mexico City. | 18 cities across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom |
| Members | 600as of September 2026 | 1,000as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | The organization does not publish a chapter count. Its About page says members are in "over 25 cities"; individual chapter events are announced case by case. | 18 |
| Primary audience | Full-time founders of technology startups, from idea stage through post-Series A, who want peer mentorship rather than capital or an accelerator programme. | Founders and CEOs of high-growth technology or tech-enabled companies who live in one of Hampton's chapter cities. |
| Typical member | The organization describes its members as vetted full-time tech startup founders; it states that members have collectively raised more than US$5 billion, that average funding per member is US$1.1 million, and that 50 percent are serial entrepreneurs. Service firms are explicitly excluded. | 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 | ||
| Role or title | Must be a full-time founder of a technology startupStated as "You are working full-time on building your tech startup. No service firms."verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published role or title |
| Minimum company revenue | No published minimum company revenue | 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 capital raised | No published minimum capital raised | 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 ↗ |
| 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 | Technology startups only; service firms are excludedThe membership requirements text explicitly excludes service firms.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Founder or CEO of a fast-growing digital, internet, technology or tech-enabled companyverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | Sometimes | No |
| Sponsor required | Sometimes | No |
| Application process | Applicants either arrive with a member invitation or request one through the site. The published flow is a short application of about two minutes plus an optional longer addendum. A membership committee reviews complete applications by the last Friday of each month and notifies applicants of the decision the same day. | 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. The organization calls itself invite-only and says it researches applicants' backgrounds, but publishes no acceptance rate or rejection statistics. | Not publicly disclosed by Hampton. A secondary account reports an 8 per cent acceptance rate, which Hampton does not confirm. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $900 a yearLaunch Plan (idea-stage founders), listed at "$75/mo billed annually" on the benefits page; the annualised figure is derived from the published monthly rate.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | $15,000 a yearStated by Hampton (2026): Hampton membership (core group + community), all chapters. “Annual dues are $15,000/year, with a 45-day money-back guarantee.”verified October 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | All memberships are annual commitments; monthly payment plans are offered on some tiers. Discounts are advertised for portfolio companies of partner venture funds and accelerator graduates, without published amounts. | Not publicly disclosed. One secondary account states there is no separate initiation fee.verified September 2026 |
| Membership term | Annual commitment, renewed annually; monthly payment plans available on some tiers | Annual, billed yearly, with a 45-day money-back guarantee for new members who attend their initial commitment call |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Continuous online forum; roughly 100 events a year including about 40 webinars, plus city chapter meet-ups and two annual conferences | Core meets monthly in person, excluding August and December, for about three hours |
| Peer forums | An online mentorship forum open to all members, plus peer advisory roundtables at the top tier; there is no standing confidential forum group of assigned peers | Core groups of about eight founders plus a paid professional facilitator, composed on a mirror, mentor and mentee model; Core is never virtual. |
| Confidentiality | The organization describes the platform as a confidential space for founders; it does not publish a confidentiality agreement. | 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 | Virtual, Chapter-based, Forum-based, Event-focused | Chapter-based, Forum-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Yes |
| Local chapters | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Yes | No |
| Online community | Yes | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Partial |
| Leadership development | Partial | Partial |
| Retreats | No | Yes |
| Travel | No | Partial |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | Not documented |
| Next-generation programming | No | No |
| Investment discussions | Yes | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | Partial | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Low | Medium |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Founders Network · Hampton