Comparison · 17 material differences
Family Enterprise Center at Kennesaw State University vs Family Business Network (FBN)
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
Family-business organization
Verified September 2026 Family Enterprise Center at Kennesaw State University
Family business owners and leaders in Georgia and the surrounding region, plus students from family businesses through the centre's next-generation programming
Family-business organization
Family Business Network (FBN)
Members of business-owning families (owners, executives, non-executive shareholders and next-generation family members) where the family controls the business
What the records say
- Minimum age: Family Enterprise Center at Kennesaw State University: No published minimum age; Family Business Network (FBN): Individual membership is open to family members aged 18 and over; Next Gen membership covers ages 18–34.
- Minimum ownership stake: Family Enterprise Center at Kennesaw State University: No published minimum ownership stake; Family Business Network (FBN): The family must hold a controlling ownership interest in the firm and control its strategic direction.
- Geographic restriction: Family Enterprise Center at Kennesaw State University: Programming is delivered at Kennesaw State University in metropolitan Atlanta, which in practice limits membership to Georgia and the surrounding region; Family Business Network (FBN): Applicants join through the FBN member association covering their country or region; there is no direct international membership.
- Annual dues: Family Enterprise Center at Kennesaw State University: $1,000 a year; Family Business Network (FBN): S$7,000 a year.
Side by side
| Family Enterprise Center at Kennesaw State University | Family Business Network (FBN) | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Family-business organization | Family-business organization |
| Founded | 1987 (The centre's about page states it was founded in 1987 by Dr Craig Aronoff within the Coles College of Business. It is commonly described as the oldest university-based family business centre; its own landing page says it has operated for over 40 years, which does not reconcile exactly with a 1987 founding.) | 1989 (Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, per FBN's own About page.) |
| Headquarters | Kennesaw, United States | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| Geographic footprint | Georgia and the south-eastern United States, based at Kennesaw State University near Atlanta | A federation of 34 member associations covering 65 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East |
| Members | Not publicly disclosed | 25,000as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | A single university-based centre with no chapters. | 34 |
| Primary audience | Family business owners and leaders in Georgia and the surrounding region, plus students from family businesses through the centre's next-generation programming | Members of business-owning families (owners, executives, non-executive shareholders and next-generation family members) where the family controls the business |
| Typical member | Members are family businesses rather than individuals, at a range of sizes and stages; the centre notes that membership is expected to move between tiers as a business changes. The next-generation side reaches Kennesaw State students from family businesses through a student group and a talent exchange with member companies. | Members are individuals from families that own and control an operating business that has reached at least the second generation of family ownership, management or involvement. Membership is typically taken out in the name of the family or family company and then extends to family members including spouses and next-generation members from age 18. |
| Qualification | ||
| Minimum age | No published minimum age | Individual membership is open to family members aged 18 and over; Next Gen membership covers ages 18–34FBN Asia terms. FBN International describes its NxG community as covering members aged 18 to 40.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Minimum ownership stake | No published minimum ownership stake | The family must hold a controlling ownership interest in the firm and control its strategic directionStated as a qualitative test; no numeric ownership percentage is published. Criteria published by FBN Asia, the member association that discloses them most fully.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Geographic restriction | Programming is delivered at Kennesaw State University in metropolitan Atlanta, which in practice limits membership to Georgia and the surrounding regionSome programming is delivered as webinars.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Applicants join through the FBN member association covering their country or region; there is no direct international membershipverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | Not documented |
| Application process | Prospective members are invited to schedule a conversation with the centre team by email to discuss which tier fits their goals, then join at the published price. No vetting, sponsorship or committee process is described. | Applicants approach the FBN member association for their country or region rather than FBN International. At FBN Asia, the published route is to review the eligibility criteria, complete and submit an application form, then be contacted by the association to work through the remaining steps. Membership is normally taken in the name of the family business, with a principal member plus alternate, next-generation and supplementary family members nominated afterwards. FBN International's central contact address is connect@fbn-i.org. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed: membership appears open to family businesses at the published rates. | Not publicly disclosed: FBN publishes eligibility criteria but no acceptance rate or applicant volume. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $1,000 a yearCore membership, per business: workshops, webinars, speaker series, resource library, educational discounts, open house tours, three office-hours sessions and hosting opportunities.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | S$7,000 a yearFBN Asia corporate (family) membership, covering all members of the business family including spouses; FBN Asia states the rate drops to SGD 5,000 a year from year three. This is one member association's price, not a network-wide fee.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | No initiation fee is published.verified September 2026 | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 |
| Programme fee | Not publicly disclosed: the centre does not publish separate prices for the Family Business Forum, peer groups, the Family Business Roadmap or Family Business Boost; these are bundled into Signature membership or quoted on enquiry.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | FBN International publishes no network-wide dues. Fees are set by each member association and vary by country; the FBN Asia schedule above is recorded because it is published openly and gives an order of magnitude. |
| Membership term | Annual | Annual, renewed through the local member association |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Peer groups meet monthly; the Family Business Forum runs twice a year; workshops, webinars, a speaker series and open house tours run through the year | Local member-association events year-round plus FBN International global and regional summits; FBN Ireland reports roughly 750 member activities a year across the network |
| Peer forums | Confidential facilitated peer groups meeting monthly, available to Signature members. Group size and facilitator credentials are not published. The twice-yearly Family Business Forum is a larger gathering rather than a standing group. | Not a facilitated-forum organisation in the peer-advisory sense; FBN organises members into thematic communities (Next Generation, Impact, Now Gen, Entrepreneurs, Family Office, Large Families) alongside national associations |
| Confidentiality | The centre describes its peer groups as confidential; no written confidentiality policy is published. | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Forum-based, Event-focused, Virtual | Chapter-based, Event-focused, Virtual |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | Partial |
| Local chapters | No | Yes |
| Virtual membership | Partial | No |
| Online community | Partial | Yes |
| Member directory | Not documented | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Yes |
| Leadership development | Yes | Yes |
| Retreats | Not documented | Not documented |
| Travel | No | Partial |
| Family programming | Yes | Yes |
| Spouse and partner programming | Not documented | Yes |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | Yes |
| Investment discussions | No | Partial |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | Partial |
| Networking emphasis | Medium | High |
| Social emphasis | Low | Medium |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Family Enterprise Center at Kennesaw State University · Family Business Network (FBN)