Comparison · 11 material differences
Keiretsu Forum vs South Park Commons
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
Investment community
Verified September 2026 Keiretsu Forum
Accredited private equity angel investors, venture capitalists and corporate or institutional investors
Invitation-only community
South Park Commons
Technical founders, researchers and domain experts between things - the site's phrase is "-1 to 0" - who can commit full time and live in San Francisco, New York or Bengaluru.
What the records say
- Accredited-investor status: Keiretsu Forum: Members must be accredited investors as defined under Regulation D of the Securities Act of 1933 and applicable securities laws; South Park Commons: No published accredited-investor status.
- Geographic restriction: Keiretsu Forum: No published geographic restriction; South Park Commons: Must live in and work from San Francisco, New York City or Bengaluru.
- Annual dues: Keiretsu Forum: $3,000–3,500 a year; South Park Commons: $0 a year.
Side by side
| Keiretsu Forum | South Park Commons | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Investment community | Invitation-only community |
| Founded | 2000 (Founded in California by Randy Williams.) | 2016 (The Our Story page dates the community to 2016 and describes its origin as ten people reading AI papers around founding member Ruchi Sanghvi's dining table, before a physical space opened in San Francisco's South Park neighbourhood.) |
| Headquarters | Lafayette, United States | San Francisco, United States |
| Geographic footprint | 53 chapters across four continents: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East | Physical communities in San Francisco (380 Brannan St), New York City and Bengaluru; members must live in one of the three hubs. |
| Members | 2,500as of September 2026 | 175as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | 53 | 3 |
| Primary audience | Accredited private equity angel investors, venture capitalists and corporate or institutional investors | Technical founders, researchers and domain experts between things - the site's phrase is "-1 to 0" - who can commit full time and live in San Francisco, New York or Bengaluru. |
| Typical member | Members must be accredited investors under Regulation D. Keiretsu describes them as active private equity investors and respected members of the business community who contribute time and expertise to portfolio companies. Individual cheques into a deal typically run from USD 25,000 to USD 500,000. | The FAQ states that about 70 percent of members are founders who aspire to start a company and 30 percent are researchers and experts going deeper in new fields. Members are expected to be full-time; those holding a full-time job are generally not accepted, with rare exceptions for visa or vesting reasons. Applicants who want to leave or take a sabbatical from university or academia are considered. |
| Qualification | ||
| Accredited-investor status | Members must be accredited investors as defined under Regulation D of the Securities Act of 1933 and applicable securities lawsKeiretsu cites the standard SEC tests: net worth over USD 1 million excluding primary residence, or income over USD 200,000 for the past two years.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published accredited-investor status |
| Geographic restriction | No published geographic restriction | Must live in and work from San Francisco, New York City or BengaluruThe FAQ answers "Do I need to be located in SF, NYC, or Bangalore?" as yes; members are expected to work from SPC spaces through the week.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | Yes | No |
| Sponsor required | Not documented | No |
| Application process | A prospective member attends a Keiretsu Forum meeting as a guest, then completes a membership application and meets the local chapter president to discuss investment interests. Membership is presented as invitation-only, extended to active investors with standing in their business community. Accreditation under Regulation D is required. | Applicants apply online to either the Member Residency or the Founder Fellowship. The organization says it reads every application and that applicants generally hear back within one to three weeks; those advancing are invited to an interview. Residency applications are accepted on a rolling basis year-round, while the Fellowship runs spring and autumn cohorts with application cut-offs and concentrated interview periods before each start. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed. Keiretsu publishes no acceptance rate, but caps each chapter at 150 members. | Not publicly disclosed. SPC publishes active member and alumni counts but no application volume or acceptance rate. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $3,000–3,500 a yearUSD 3,500 in the first year and USD 3,000 on renewal, described as a global access fee covering monthly meetings at any chapter. Published by the Keiretsu Forum Northwest chapter; the global site does not publish dues and corporations, entrepreneurs in residence, venture funds and family offices are on a different fee structure.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | $0 a year"Is there a membership fee? No, we do not charge fees or dues." The India page repeats that the six-month residency is at "No cost or equity".verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Programme fee | Dues are set at chapter level. The figures recorded here are published by the Northwest chapter; Keiretsu's global site publishes no fee schedule. | $0 one-timeThe six-month Member Residency carries no fee and no equity. The separate Founder Fellowship is an investment, not a fee: US$400,000 for 7 percent via a SAFE plus US$600,000 guaranteed in the next venture round.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Membership term | Annual | Six-month Member Residency; Founder Fellowship recipients become lifetime members of the community |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Monthly chapter forum meetings plus deal screening sessions; members may attend meetings at any chapter | Members work from SPC spaces through the week; peer accountability groups, learning forums, speaker series, workshops and roundtables run on an ongoing basis |
| Peer forums | Chapter meetings of up to 150 members with company presentations and member-led due diligence teams | Peer accountability groups and member-led learning forums rather than assigned confidential forums; Fellowship cohorts are kept small at roughly one partner per two companies, with no demo day |
| Confidentiality | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Full time. The residency page states that "-1 to 0 isn't a side project. It's a full time endeavor." |
| Organized as | Chapter-based, Event-focused | Clubhouse premises, Cohort-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | Yes |
| Local chapters | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Not documented | No |
| Online community | Not documented | Yes |
| Member directory | Not documented | Not documented |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | No | Partial |
| Retreats | No | 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 | Yes | Yes |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Keiretsu Forum · South Park Commons