Comparison · 12 material differences
LAVA 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
Networking organization
Verified September 2026 LAVA
Participants in the Los Angeles venture ecosystem: venture capitalists, limited partners, family offices, angel investors, founders of venture-backed companies, and the…
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
- Maximum age at joining: LAVA: Young VC membership requires the member to be employed by a venture firm and under 40; On Deck: No published maximum age at joining.
- Role or title: LAVA: VC Partner membership is for partners at venture firms, or analysts and associates at those firms; On Deck: No published role or title.
- Minimum capital raised: LAVA: No published minimum capital raised; On Deck: Must not have raised beyond pre-seed.
- Geographic restriction: LAVA: Los Angeles and Southern California focus; On Deck: Target customers must be in the United States; attendance in San Francisco for five business days is required.
- Annual dues: LAVA: $485 a year; On Deck: $10,000 a year.
Side by side
| LAVA | On Deck | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Networking organization | Invitation-only community |
| Founded | 1984 (LAVA's About page says it was established in 1984 as the Los Angeles Venture Club; its homepage gives 1985. The two dates were not reconciled.) | 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 | Los Angeles, United States | San Francisco, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Greater Los Angeles and Southern California | 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 | Not publicly disclosed | 3,000as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | No chapters. LAVA organises internally into industry committees, affinity groups and special interest groups rather than geographic chapters. | No chapters; the programme runs as numbered cohorts from a single San Francisco base. |
| Primary audience | Participants in the Los Angeles venture ecosystem: venture capitalists, limited partners, family offices, angel investors, founders of venture-backed companies, and the professional services firms around them | 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 | LAVA's own description covers limited partners, venture capitalists, family offices, angel investors, founders, incubators, accelerators, universities, researchers, mentors, government officials and legal, accounting, marketing and PR service providers. Its membership tiers price these groups differently, with separate rates for entrepreneurs, investors, VC partners, limited partners and academics. | 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 | ||
| Maximum age at joining | Young VC membership requires the member to be employed by a venture firm and under 40Carries a reduced rate and access to young-VC events.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published maximum age at joining |
| Role or title | VC Partner membership is for partners at venture firms, or analysts and associates at those firmsGives access to investor-only events.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published role or title |
| 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 | Los Angeles and Southern California focusThe academic researcher rate is described as a discounted rate for local academics.verified 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 | Membership is bought online through LAVA's member portal by selecting a category. There is no published application review, sponsorship or interview stage; category eligibility appears to rest on self-declaration. | 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 | Not publicly disclosed. Some events are invitation-only within the membership (investor-only and LP/VC-only formats), but membership itself is open paid enrolment. | Not publicly disclosed. Cohort size is published at 80 to 100 people, but no application volume or acceptance rate is given. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $485 a yearPremium individual membership, annual ($50 a month on the monthly plan)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 ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosed; no joining fee appears alongside the published dues.verified September 2026 | The programme takes no equity. The related three-month Solo Founders residency does not publish a price on its own site. |
| Programme fee | LAVA's Corporate tier is listed at $1,200 for up to 15 employees while Corporate PLUS is listed at $1,860 for up to four; the description of what each covers is inconsistent on the join page and was recorded as published. | $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, with a monthly option on the premium individual tier | Admission is to a single cohort; the site describes year-round community access afterwards without stating a renewal term. |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Live and virtual events year-round, including investor round tables, syndication screenings, VC check-ins and private mixers, plus annual events such as Meet the VC, First Look SoCal and the LAVA Awards | One five-business-day in-person sprint in San Francisco per cohort, then continuing online community activity |
| Peer forums | Industry committees across more than a dozen sectors, affinity groups (Women In LAVA, Young VCs at LAVA, university alumni groups), special interest groups and sector divisions | Cohorts of 80 to 100 founders, more than half of them technical; there is no standing confidential forum group |
| Confidentiality | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Five business days in San Francisco for the sprint; no ongoing commitment is published |
| Organized as | Event-focused, Virtual | Cohort-based, Event-focused, Virtual |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | Partial |
| Local chapters | No | No |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Partial |
| Online community | Yes | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Partial | Yes |
| Leadership development | No | Partial |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | No |
| Investment discussions | Yes | Yes |
| Investment opportunities | Yes | Partial |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
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