Comparison · 14 material differences
Summit vs Forum of Young Global Leaders
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.
What the records say
- Maximum age at joining — Summit: No published maximum age at joining; Forum of Young Global Leaders: Under 40 at the time of nomination.
- Role or title — Summit: No published role or title; Forum of Young Global Leaders: Business-sector candidates must run a qualifying company or division as President, Chairman, CEO, Managing Director, Managing Partner, Publisher or equivalent.
- Annual dues — Summit: $2,000 a year; Forum of Young Global Leaders: Not publicly disclosed.
Side by side
| Summit | Forum of Young Global Leaders | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Invitation-only community | Leadership network |
| Founded | 2008 (Wikipedia dates the first Summit Series event to April 2008, an invitation-only gathering of 19 young entrepreneurs at a Park City, Utah ski resort, organized by Elliott Bisnow, Brett Leve, Jeff Rosenthal, Jeremy Schwartz and Ryan Begelman. Summit's own membership page says it has "spent 17 years building" the community, consistent with a 2008 or 2009 start; its community page refers instead to "the past fifteen years".) | 2004 (Created by World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab in 2004; the community marked its 20th anniversary in 2024. The YGL Foundation describes itself as a private foundation based in Switzerland but does not publish a city on its public pages.) |
| Headquarters | United States | Switzerland |
| Geographic footprint | Monthly member gatherings in five United States cities - Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Austin and New York - with flagship events held in the United States and abroad, including Kenya and Peru in the 2026-27 calendar. | Members and alumni from over 120 countries; convenings held worldwide |
| Members | Not publicly disclosed. Summit publishes outcome claims for its members - more than US$2.3 billion of capital raised, 150+ co-founder connections, 300+ Series A to C rounds and 68 marriages - but no membership total. | 1,400as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | No chapters. Membership includes monthly in-person gatherings in five cities and more than 60 touchpoints a year. | No chapters; the community is organised in annual classes rather than local chapters |
| Primary audience | Founders, entrepreneurs, C-suite executives and investors, alongside artists, musicians, athletes, scientists, chefs and other public figures the organization describes as makers. | Leaders under 40 drawn from business, government, civil society, academia, media, the arts and social enterprise |
| Typical member | Summit describes its community as entrepreneurs, academics, athletes, artists, astronauts, authors, chefs, engineers, explorers, philanthropists, spiritual leaders and scientists. The application asks only for name, contact details, company, role and city, so admission turns on the interview rather than a financial test. Past presenters listed on the site include Jeff Bezos, Bill Clinton, Kendrick Lamar, Brene Brown, Malcolm Gladwell and Eric Schmidt. | Members are selected in annual classes of roughly 100-120 people under the age of 40 and include ministers, heads of state, chief executives, founders, scientists, journalists and artists. The Class of 2026 comprised 118 leaders from 55 countries. |
| Qualification | ||
| Maximum age at joining | No published maximum age at joining | Under 40 at the time of nominationThe Forum's published nomination criteria state the candidate must be "40 years of age or younger at the time of nomination"; the Class of 2026 was described by the Forum as 118 leaders under the age of 40.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Role or title | No published role or title | Business-sector candidates must run a qualifying company or division as President, Chairman, CEO, Managing Director, Managing Partner, Publisher or equivalentFrom the Forum's YGL nomination criteria document. Where the company is a Forum member or partner, the candidate needs the approval of that company's CEO or Chairman. This document is undated on its face and references the Class of 2015, so the current wording may differ.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | Yes | Yes |
| Sponsor required | Sometimes | Yes |
| Application process | Applicants complete an online form giving name, mobile number, email, company, role and city. Candidates are then interviewed against two criteria: leadership in their field, and warmth and fit with Summit's eight principles. Separately, anyone can nominate an attendee or a speaker for a Summit event, and members register for flagship events through a signed-in account. | There is no application. Candidates are nominated by World Economic Forum members and partners; the site states plainly that nomination is not open to the general public and that unsolicited applications are not accepted. Nominees are then assessed against the Forum's criteria. The Forum's published criteria document describes shortlisted candidates being evaluated by the executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles and finally screened by a selection committee. Nominations for a given class close in the spring of the preceding year. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed. Summit describes its events as invitation-only and its process as curation, but publishes no acceptance rate or application volume. | The Forum states that roughly 100 people are selected each year "from thousands of candidates worldwide"; no acceptance rate is published. The Class of 2026 numbered 118 from 55 countries. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $2,000 a yearSummit Membership: "For $2,000 a year", covering all monthly in-person happenings in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Austin and New York, curated introductions, priority registration for flagship events and the virtual learning series, full PARTICLE marketplace access and unlimited directory search.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 |
| Programme fee | Membership is the only published price. Flagship event registration is separate and requires a sign-in, so the total cost of participating is not visible publicly. | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 |
| Event costs | Not publicly disclosed. Ticket prices for the flagship events - Summit Napa Valley, Summit Sarara in Kenya, Summit Basecamp at Lake Tahoe and Summit Sacred Valley in Peru - are behind a sign-in; the public event pages carry no pricing.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | The YGL Foundation publishes no fee schedule. Whether members or their employers meet programme, travel or Forum-event costs is not stated on the public site. |
| Membership term | Annual | Three-year development programme, followed by lifetime access to the alumni community |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Monthly in-person gatherings in five cities, described as more than 60 touchpoints a year, plus virtual learning sessions and several multi-day flagship events each year | Annual class intake; academic modules, thematic gatherings and Forum convenings through the year |
| Peer forums | No standing peer forums. The structures are city gatherings, curated one-to-one introductions and large multi-day events built around six programming pillars. | Annual classes and cohort programming rather than standing small-group forums |
| Confidentiality | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Event-focused, Virtual | Cohort-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | No | Partial |
| Local chapters | Partial | No |
| Virtual membership | Partial | No |
| Online community | Yes | Not documented |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Partial | Yes |
| Retreats | Yes | Yes |
| Travel | Yes | Yes |
| Family programming | No | Not documented |
| Spouse and partner programming | Not documented | Not documented |
| Next-generation programming | No | No |
| Investment discussions | Partial | Not documented |
| Investment opportunities | Partial | No |
| Philanthropic component | Yes | Partial |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | High | Medium |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Summit · Forum of Young Global Leaders