Comparison · 13 material differences
Somerset Club vs The Battery
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 Private club
Daderot · Wikimedia Commons · CC0Somerset Club
Not publicly disclosed. The club's public website consists of a home page, a member login and a guest-information page, and states nothing about who it admits.
Private club
The Battery
The club says it exists "to play host to bright minds with big ideas"; its own copy describes a clubhouse for the curious rather than a professional or income band
What the records say
- Maximum age at joining: Somerset Club: No published maximum age at joining; The Battery: Under 30 membership is "available to applicants under 30 years old".
- Geographic restriction: Somerset Club: No published geographic restriction; The Battery: Out of Town membership is "available to members who don't have a home within a 100 mile drive of the club".
- Annual dues: Somerset Club: Not publicly disclosed; The Battery: Not publicly disclosed. Separate rates exist for Member, Partner, Out of Town and Under 30, and the Battery Alliance upgrade is charged in addition, but no amounts are published..
Side by side
| Somerset Club | The Battery | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Private club | Private club |
| Founded | 1852 (The club publishes no history. Wikipedia traces informal origins to 1826 and a group called the Temple by the 1830s, and records that the club opened to members in 1852, first as the Beacon Club and renamed the Somerset Club that same year.) | 2013 (Founded by Michael and Xochi Birch, the founders of the social network Bebo, in a converted building at 717 Battery Street in San Francisco.) |
| Headquarters | Boston, United States | San Francisco, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Single clubhouse at 42 Beacon Street on Beacon Hill, combined with the adjoining house at 43 Beacon Street | A single clubhouse in San Francisco, with reciprocal access to more than 70 private clubs in 23 countries through the optional Battery Alliance |
| Members | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Chapters | Single clubhouse; no chapters | 1 |
| Primary audience | Not publicly disclosed. The club's public website consists of a home page, a member login and a guest-information page, and states nothing about who it admits. | The club says it exists "to play host to bright minds with big ideas"; its own copy describes a clubhouse for the curious rather than a professional or income band |
| Typical member | Not publicly disclosed. Wikipedia describes the club historically as a centre of Boston Brahmin families; the club publishes nothing about its present membership. | The club publishes no occupational or wealth criteria. Its own materials emphasise conversation, cultural programming and collective giving through Battery Powered rather than industry or seniority. |
| Qualification | ||
| Maximum age at joining | No published maximum age at joining | Under 30 membership is "available to applicants under 30 years old"verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Geographic restriction | No published geographic restriction | Out of Town membership is "available to members who don't have a home within a 100 mile drive of the club"Distance is expressed as a driving distance from the clubhouse.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | Not documented | No |
| Sponsor required | Not documented | Yes |
| Application process | No application process is published. The club's public site has no membership page, application form or membership contact. | The club sets out four steps: complete the online application form; obtain a nomination; attend an open house, described as "an afternoon at the club and a chance to meet both members and our team"; and then, on approval, receive a membership kit. The club states that "Membership is by introduction, and it begins with a conversation." Applicants choose between Member, Partner, Out of Town and Under 30 types, with The Battery Alliance available as an upgrade. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed. The club publishes no acceptance rate, waitlist size or member count. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed. Separate rates exist for Member, Partner, Out of Town and Under 30, and the Battery Alliance upgrade is charged in addition, but no amounts are published.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed. The club's apply page lists membership types without prices and no figure appears in its Charter.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Membership term | Not documented | The Charter contains sections on Membership Duration and Membership Renewal; specific terms are not published, and Lifetime Membership classes exist alongside renewable membership |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Not publicly disclosed | The clubhouse operates daily, with a member events calendar covering talks, tastings, music and social nights |
| Peer forums | Not documented | Not documented |
| Confidentiality | No cell phones, listening or reading devices, or other electronic communications devices of any kind may be used in the dining and public areas of the club; members and guests may use Room 6 on the first floor for personal communication. Photography is permitted only with prior approval from the General Manager or Executive Committee, and then only for personal use. | House rules ask members not to take, post or tag people in photos, and to put phones and laptops away in public areas during social hours |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Clubhouse premises | Clubhouse premises, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | No | No |
| Local chapters | No | No |
| Virtual membership | No | No |
| Online community | No | Not documented |
| Member directory | Not documented | Not documented |
| Events | Not documented | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Not documented | Yes |
| Leadership development | No | No |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | Not documented | Yes |
| Family programming | Not documented | Partial |
| Spouse and partner programming | Not documented | Yes |
| Next-generation programming | Not documented | No |
| Investment discussions | No | Not documented |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | Not documented | Yes |
| Networking emphasis | Low | Medium |
| Social emphasis | High | High |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Somerset Club · The Battery