Comparison · 12 material differences
On Deck vs Searchfunder
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 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.
Investment community
Searchfunder
Search fund entrepreneurs (searchers), the investors who back them, plus lenders, business brokers and advisers working in the lower middle market
What the records say
- Minimum capital raised — On Deck: Must not have raised beyond pre-seed; Searchfunder: No published minimum capital raised.
- Geographic restriction — On Deck: Target customers must be in the United States; attendance in San Francisco for five business days is required; Searchfunder: No published geographic restriction.
- Annual dues — On Deck: $10,000 a year; Searchfunder: $228 a year.
Side by side
| On Deck | Searchfunder | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Invitation-only community | Investment community |
| Founded | 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.) | Not documented |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, United States | United States |
| Geographic footprint | 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. | Online, global; members are concentrated in the United States with regional discussion groups for other markets |
| Members | 3,000as of September 2026 | Not publicly disclosed — Searchfunder states that "over 80% of those involved in searchfunds maintain a Searchfunder account" but publishes no member total |
| Chapters | No chapters; the programme runs as numbered cohorts from a single San Francisco base. | Not applicable — Searchfunder is an online platform with no chapters |
| Primary audience | 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. | Search fund entrepreneurs (searchers), the investors who back them, plus lenders, business brokers and advisers working in the lower middle market |
| Typical member | 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. | Members are searchers pursuing entrepreneurship through acquisition, search fund and independent sponsor investors, lenders, brokers and service providers. The site notes that many members come from dedicated ETA programmes at Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB and Chicago Booth, while also saying that searching is no longer limited to those routes. |
| Qualification | ||
| 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 ↗ | No published minimum capital raised |
| Geographic restriction | 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 ↗ | No published geographic restriction |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | 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. | Users register an account directly on the site. A free account gives limited access; a paid subscription unlocks the member directory, the search fund list, research reports, contact credits and posting rights. No sponsorship, interview or committee review is described. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed. Cohort size is published at 80 to 100 people, but no application volume or acceptance rate is given. | Not publicly disclosed — no vetting or approval process is described on the public pages |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $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 ↗ | $228 a yearAnnual subscription, quoted on the homepage as "$19 / month" billed annually — $228 for twelve monthsverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Monthly dues | The programme takes no equity. The related three-month Solo Founders residency does not publish a price on its own site. | $79 a monthMonthly subscription, quoted on the homepage as "$79 / month"verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | The programme takes no equity. The related three-month Solo Founders residency does not publish a price on its own site. | Not publicly disclosed — no joining fee is published; basic registration appears to be freeverified September 2026 |
| Programme fee | $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 ↗ | Prices are as published on the Searchfunder homepage. The annual figure is derived from the site's own "$19 / month" annual-billing quote. |
| Membership term | Admission is to a single cohort; the site describes year-round community access afterwards without stating a renewal term. | Monthly or annual subscription, or a one-off lifetime purchase; continuous accounts over four years convert to permanent access |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | One five-business-day in-person sprint in San Francisco per cohort, then continuing online community activity | No organisation-run meeting calendar; members post and attend third-party events such as the Stanford and IESE search fund conferences |
| Peer forums | Cohorts of 80 to 100 founders, more than half of them technical; there is no standing confidential forum group | Public and topic-based online discussion threads, including geography-specific groups; no confidential small-group forums |
| Confidentiality | Not publicly disclosed | Could not be independently verified — much of the platform's content is public and no confidentiality regime is published |
| Time commitment | Five business days in San Francisco for the sprint; no ongoing commitment is published | Not documented |
| Organized as | Cohort-based, Event-focused, Virtual | Virtual, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | Partial |
| Local chapters | No | No |
| Virtual membership | Partial | Yes |
| Online community | Yes | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Partial |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Partial |
| Leadership development | Partial | No |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | No | No |
| Investment discussions | Yes | Yes |
| Investment opportunities | Partial | Yes |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Low |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: On Deck · Searchfunder