Comparison · 14 material differences
Searchfunder vs Small Giants Community
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 Searchfunder
Search fund entrepreneurs (searchers), the investors who back them, plus lenders, business brokers and advisers working in the lower middle market
Networking organization
Small Giants Community
Founders, chief executives and next-generation leaders of small and mid-sized privately held companies that deliberately prioritise culture, purpose and quality over growth - the…
What the records say
- Role or title — Searchfunder: No published role or title; Small Giants Community: The community is designed for founders, chief executives and next-generation leaders of small and mid-sized businesses.
- Annual dues — Searchfunder: $228 a year; Small Giants Community: $0 a year.
Side by side
| Searchfunder | Small Giants Community | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Investment community | Networking organization |
| Founded | Not documented | 2009 (The About page states that "The Small Giants Community is officially formed and founded by Bo Burlingham and Paul Spiegelman" in 2009, four years after Burlingham's 2005 book Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big.) |
| Headquarters | United States | United States |
| Geographic footprint | Online, global; members are concentrated in the United States with regional discussion groups for other markets | Primarily United States. The member directory offers filters for more than 30 countries including Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Japan, Brazil and South Africa; the organization publishes no country breakdown. |
| Members | Not publicly disclosed — Searchfunder states that "over 80% of those involved in searchfunds maintain a Searchfunder account" but publishes no member total | Not publicly disclosed. The organization publishes a searchable member directory but no total membership figure. The only published capacity number is the annual Summit, which is capped at 250 attendees. |
| Chapters | Not applicable — Searchfunder is an online platform with no chapters | No chapters. The community operates online with a single annual summit and cohort programmes. |
| Primary audience | Search fund entrepreneurs (searchers), the investors who back them, plus lenders, business brokers and advisers working in the lower middle market | Founders, chief executives and next-generation leaders of small and mid-sized privately held companies that deliberately prioritise culture, purpose and quality over growth - the model described in Bo Burlingham's book. |
| Typical member | 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. | The organization describes members as ranging "from solo founders to growing companies to established purpose-driven organizations", covering founders, C-suite executives and rising leaders. Company memberships bring whole leadership teams into the community. Published member quotes come from operating executives at privately held United States firms. |
| Qualification | ||
| Role or title | No published role or title | The community is designed for founders, chief executives and next-generation leaders of small and mid-sized businessesStated as the intended audience rather than an enforced test.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | 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. | Community membership requires no application: prospective members join the free tier online and upgrade to Individual or Company membership when they choose. The cohort programmes are screened. The Leadership Academy runs an application, a Zoom conversation covering cost and curriculum, a fit review and then acceptance and payment, with onboarding ahead of a January launch. Sounding Board uses an in-depth application and assessment followed by an interview. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed — no vetting or approval process is described on the public pages | Not applicable to general membership, which is open. For the Leadership Academy the organization says it will "review your application and ensure a good fit before accepting payment", but publishes no acceptance rate. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $228 a yearAnnual subscription, quoted on the homepage as "$19 / month" billed annually — $228 for twelve monthsverified September 2026 · source ↗ | $0 a yearFree tier: US$0. Includes the Small Giants Scorecard and report, a free book chapter, free virtual events and workshops, the resource library and the newsletter.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Monthly dues | $79 a monthMonthly subscription, quoted on the homepage as "$79 / month"verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Paid memberships are billed annually and can be cancelled at any time. The cohort programmes and the Summit are priced separately from membership. |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosed — no joining fee is published; basic registration appears to be freeverified September 2026 | Paid memberships are billed annually and can be cancelled at any time. The cohort programmes and the Summit are priced separately from membership. |
| Programme fee | Prices are as published on the Searchfunder homepage. The annual figure is derived from the site's own "$19 / month" annual-billing quote. | $12,500 one-timeSmall Giants Leadership Academy: "an investment of $12,500 per participant", all inclusive of programme access, community access, lifetime resource access, a Summit ticket and meals, transport and activities for two in-person experiences; travel and accommodation are excluded. A 10 percent deposit is due on acceptance, with the balance paid up front or monthly.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Event costs | Prices are as published on the Searchfunder homepage. The annual figure is derived from the site's own "$19 / month" annual-billing quote. | $1,650–2,265 one-timeAnnual Summit tickets in three releases: US$1,650 for the first 40 registrants, US$1,960 for the next 60, and US$2,265 thereafter. Includes all sessions, a visit to a Small Giant company, meals and receptions and transport between events. Discounts are offered for groups of three or more and for Leadership Academy alumni.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Membership term | Monthly or annual subscription, or a one-off lifetime purchase; continuous accounts over four years convert to permanent access | Annual, billed annually, cancellable at any time; the free tier has no term |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | No organisation-run meeting calendar; members post and attend third-party events such as the Stanford and IESE search fund conferences | Ongoing online forums and virtual events and workshops; one annual Summit; Journey runs six two-day excursions a year; Sounding Board meets monthly for twelve months |
| Peer forums | Public and topic-based online discussion threads, including geography-specific groups; no confidential small-group forums | Online forums and chat open to paid members rather than assigned confidential groups; one-to-one mentorship pairs in Sounding Board; cohort groups in the Leadership Academy and Journey |
| Confidentiality | Could not be independently verified — much of the platform's content is public and no confidentiality regime is published | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not published for membership. Sounding Board is a twelve-month commitment with monthly one-to-one meetings; Journey involves six two-day excursions over a year. |
| Organized as | Virtual, Event-focused | Virtual, Event-focused, Cohort-based |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | Partial |
| Local chapters | No | No |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Yes |
| Online community | Yes | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Partial | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Partial | Yes |
| Leadership development | No | Yes |
| Retreats | No | Partial |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | No | Yes |
| Investment discussions | Yes | No |
| Investment opportunities | Yes | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | Partial |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Low | Medium |
Next
Last verified: not yet reviewed
Report an error on this page
Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Searchfunder · Small Giants Community