Comparison · 17 material differences
Level 20 vs theBoardlist
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 Level 20
People working in European private equity and venture capital, with the mission focused on women in investment roles
Networking organization
theBoardlist
Women executives seeking private and public company board seats, and the chief executives, investors and boards searching for candidates
What the records say
- Gender: Level 20: No published gender; theBoardlist: The candidate pool was for women; theBoardlist described itself as connecting "highly qualified women across industries with private and public board opportunities".
- Geographic restriction: Level 20: In-person programming is concentrated in Europe; theBoardlist: No published geographic restriction.
- Industry restriction: Level 20: Must work in private equity or venture capital, or at a firm that supports the industry; theBoardlist: No published industry restriction.
- Annual dues: Level 20: £0 a year; theBoardlist: Not publicly disclosed.
Side by side
| Level 20 | theBoardlist | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Networking organization | Networking organization |
| Founded | 2015 (Launched in the UK in 2015 by twelve co-founders, all senior women in European private equity and private markets) | 2015 (Launched on 15 July 2015 as the first initiative of the #ChoosePossibility Project, founded by Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, per Wikipedia. theBoardlist's own site carried a "© 2018 theBoardlist" notice.) |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom | United States |
| Geographic footprint | Thirteen chapters covering 20 European countries; the team is based in London | An online marketplace, originally focused on the United States technology industry and later broadened across industries |
| Members | 7,250as of September 2025 | 5,000as of June 2020 |
| Chapters | 13 | No chapters; theBoardlist was a single online platform |
| Primary audience | People working in European private equity and venture capital, with the mission focused on women in investment roles | Women executives seeking private and public company board seats, and the chief executives, investors and boards searching for candidates |
| Typical member | Members work in private equity and venture capital or in firms that support the industry, at all seniority levels. Membership is open to both women and men, who participate as members, speakers, mentors and research contributors. The organisation's stated goal is increasing the representation of senior women, particularly in investment roles. | Senior women executives nominated by chief executives, investors and other business leaders for board service. Candidates did not self-nominate: entry to the talent pool came through peer endorsement by a recommender in theBoardlist's community. |
| Qualification | ||
| Gender | No published gender | The candidate pool was for women; theBoardlist described itself as connecting "highly qualified women across industries with private and public board opportunities"Recommenders and searching companies were not restricted by genderverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Geographic restriction | In-person programming is concentrated in EuropeLevel 20 operates 13 chapters across 20 European countriesverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published geographic restriction |
| Industry restriction | Must work in private equity or venture capital, or at a firm that supports the industryMembership is open to both women and men at any seniority levelverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published industry restriction |
| Invitation required | No | Yes |
| Sponsor required | No | Yes |
| Application process | Individuals complete a membership application form in the member portal; there is no fee, sponsorship or interview. Firms wishing to sponsor contact Level 20 through its Get in Touch page. Members are then matched to relevant programming by role, seniority, sector, strategy and firm type; mentoring places are allocated by cohort through the chapter committees. | Women entered the candidate pool by being nominated by a recommender from theBoardlist's community of chief executives, investors and senior leaders. Nominated candidates were then encouraged to complete a profile and connect their LinkedIn account so that searching companies could find them. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed for general membership, which appears to be open. The mentoring programme is described as highly sought after but no acceptance figures are published. | Not publicly disclosed as a rate. theBoardlist reported that more than 1,400 executives had nominated more than 2,100 women by November 2017 and that it had influenced more than 100 board placements. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | £0 a yearIndividual membership is free. "Level 20 membership is free for all those working in private equity and venture capital, or in firms that support the industry", Annual Review 2025verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed |
| Membership term | Not documented | Not documented |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Local professional development and networking events run by each chapter, plus international conferences and online sessions | No published meeting programme; theBoardlist listed events but its core function was the online marketplace |
| Peer forums | Volunteer-run chapter committees organise local activity; mentoring runs as one-to-one pairings and group cohorts | No forums |
| Confidentiality | Could not be independently verified: no published confidentiality policy was found | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Chapter-based, Event-focused, Cohort-based | Virtual |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | No |
| Local chapters | Yes | No |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Yes |
| Online community | Yes | Partial |
| Member directory | Partial | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Partial |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Partial |
| Leadership development | Yes | Partial |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | Partial | No |
| Investment discussions | Partial | No |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | Medium |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Low |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Level 20 · theBoardlist