Comparison · 17 material differences
Helm vs On Deck
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 Helm
Founders and CEOs of UK scale-up businesses past about £3 million in revenue
Invitation-only community
On Deck
Pre-seed and pre-idea technology founders in or willing to travel to San Francisco, building for United States customers, who are committed full-time to starting a company.
What the records say
- Role or title — Helm: Founder or CEO of the business; On Deck: No published role or title.
- Minimum company revenue — Helm: £3m+ revenue, or more than £3m raised; On Deck: No published minimum company revenue.
- Minimum employees — Helm: Team size around 20 full-time equivalents; On Deck: No published minimum employees.
- Minimum capital raised — Helm: No published minimum capital raised; On Deck: Must not have raised beyond pre-seed.
- Annual dues — Helm: £1,450 a year; On Deck: $10,000 a year.
Side by side
| Helm | On Deck | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Invitation-only community | Invitation-only community |
| Founded | 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.) | 2019 (TechCrunch reported that On Deck launched in June 2019, co-founded by Erik Torenberg and David Booth. The current ODF site does not publish a founding date.) |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom | San Francisco, United States |
| Geographic footprint | United Kingdom: events across London and regional UK hubs, plus a digital community; Helm does not publish a full list of hubs | The core programme is an in-person week in San Francisco; the ongoing community is online. The published eligibility notes rule out founders whose target customers are outside the United States. |
| Members | 400as of September 2026 | 3,000as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | 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. | No chapters; the programme runs as numbered cohorts from a single San Francisco base. |
| Primary audience | Founders and CEOs of UK scale-up businesses past about £3 million in revenue | Pre-seed and pre-idea technology founders in or willing to travel to San Francisco, building for United States customers, who are committed full-time to starting a company. |
| Typical member | 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. | ODF states that cohorts run 80 to 100 people and that more than half have technical backgrounds. The published eligibility screen excludes founders who have raised beyond pre-seed, who already have a team, whose business cannot reach venture scale, or whose target customers are outside the United States. Named alumni companies include Cal.com, Luma and Partiful. |
| Qualification | ||
| Role or title | Founder or CEO of the business"non-founder executives, advisers and service providers are not admitted as members".verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published role or title |
| Minimum company revenue | £3m+ revenue, or more than £3m raisedHelm's published qualification panel: "Revenue £3m+ (or, raised >£3m)".verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published minimum company revenue |
| Minimum employees | 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 ↗ | No published minimum employees |
| Minimum capital raised | No published minimum capital raised | Must not have raised beyond pre-seedThis is an upper bound, not a floor: the FAQ says the programme is not suitable for founders who have already raised beyond pre-seed.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Geographic restriction | United Kingdom scale-up businessesverified September 2026 · source ↗ | Target customers must be in the United States; attendance in San Francisco for five business days is requiredThe FAQ lists non-US target customers as a disqualifier and requires the "full SF sprint (five business days)".verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | 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. | The published sequence is: apply through an online form, then an optional asynchronous video, then an interview, then an optional second interview, with a decision stated at roughly 36 hours. Admission is to a specific numbered cohort rather than to open-ended membership. |
| Selectivity | 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. | Not publicly disclosed. Cohort size is published at 80 to 100 people, but no application volume or acceptance rate is given. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | £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 ↗ | $10,000 a yearHistorical: On Deck Scale, the programme for high-growth companies, was reported at US$10,000 per year in September 2022. This programme is not listed on the current ODF site.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Monthly dues | £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 ↗ | The programme takes no equity. The related three-month Solo Founders residency does not publish a price on its own site. |
| Initiation fee | £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 ↗ | The programme takes no equity. The related three-month Solo Founders residency does not publish a price on its own site. |
| Programme fee | Helm publishes prices, but two of its own pages disagree: the Get Started page lists £1,450 and £4,250 a year for the two tiers, while a competitor-comparison page quotes £495 joining plus £495 a month. Membership can be cancelled at any time under the published membership agreement. | $1,000 one-timeCurrent ODF cohort fee: "Non-dilutive program with a Pay-what-you-can model; we suggest $1000 USD which covers venue, food, and year-round community infrastructure." The suggested figure is a guideline, not a fixed charge.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Membership term | Annual, cancellable at any time under the published membership agreement | Admission is to a single cohort; the site describes year-round community access afterwards without stating a renewal term. |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | 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 | One five-business-day in-person sprint in San Francisco per cohort, then continuing online community activity |
| Peer forums | 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 | Cohorts of 80 to 100 founders, more than half of them technical; there is no standing confidential forum group |
| Confidentiality | Events run under the Chatham House Rule; Forum is described as absolutely confidential ("What's discussed at Helm stays at Helm") | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | 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 | Five business days in San Francisco for the sprint; no ongoing commitment is published |
| Organized as | Forum-based, Event-focused, Virtual | Cohort-based, Event-focused, Virtual |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Partial |
| Local chapters | Partial | No |
| Virtual membership | Partial | Partial |
| Online community | Yes | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Partial |
| Retreats | Yes | No |
| Travel | Partial | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | No | No |
| Investment discussions | Yes | Yes |
| Investment opportunities | Partial | Partial |
| Philanthropic component | Partial | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | High | Medium |
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