Comparison · 16 material differences
HBR Advisory Council vs On Deck
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 HBR Advisory Council
Harvard Business Review readers, mainly managers and executives, invited to give structured feedback to HBR's editors
Invitation-only community
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.
What the records say
- Minimum capital raised — HBR Advisory Council: No published minimum capital raised; On Deck: Must not have raised beyond pre-seed.
- Geographic restriction — HBR Advisory Council: No published geographic restriction; On Deck: Target customers must be in the United States; attendance in San Francisco for five business days is required.
- Annual dues — HBR Advisory Council: $0 a year; On Deck: $10,000 a year.
Side by side
| HBR Advisory Council | On Deck | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Invitation-only community | Invitation-only community |
| Founded | Not documented | 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.) |
| Headquarters | Boston, United States | San Francisco, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Online reader and research panel with no chapters or local groups | 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. |
| Members | Not publicly disclosed | 3,000as of September 2026 |
| Chapters | No chapters | No chapters; the programme runs as numbered cohorts from a single San Francisco base. |
| Primary audience | Harvard Business Review readers, mainly managers and executives, invited to give structured feedback to HBR's editors | 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. |
| Typical member | Not publicly disclosed. HBR publishes no eligibility criteria, seniority test or member profile for the Advisory Council; membership is by invitation. | 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. |
| Qualification | ||
| Minimum capital raised | No published 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 ↗ |
| Geographic restriction | No published 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 ↗ |
| Invitation required | Yes | No |
| Sponsor required | No | No |
| Application process | There is no application. HBR invites readers to join the Advisory Council and the FAQ does not describe any way to request an invitation. Members can leave at any time using the unsubscribe link in a council email. | 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. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed. HBR states only that membership is currently by invitation. | Not publicly disclosed. Cohort size is published at 80 to 100 people, but no application volume or acceptance rate is given. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $0 a yearNo membership fee is charged or mentioned anywhere in the Advisory Council pages or FAQ; the council is a research panel rather than a paid membership.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | $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 ↗ |
| Programme fee | HBR does not charge for Advisory Council membership. Members receive downloadable content, and on some projects the final research report, in exchange for survey participation. | $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 ↗ |
| Membership term | Open-ended; members leave by unsubscribing | Admission is to a single cohort; the site describes year-round community access afterwards without stating a renewal term. |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Research invitations, generally no more than one survey per month | One five-business-day in-person sprint in San Francisco per cohort, then continuing online community activity |
| Peer forums | No forums | Cohorts of 80 to 100 founders, more than half of them technical; there is no standing confidential forum group |
| Confidentiality | Research is conducted by Beehive Research Ltd, which HBR states is registered with the Market Research Society and ESOMAR | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Roughly one optional survey a month at most, per the FAQ | Five business days in San Francisco for the sprint; no ongoing commitment is published |
| Organized as | Virtual | Cohort-based, Event-focused, Virtual |
| Confidential peer forums | No | Partial |
| Local chapters | No | No |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Partial |
| Online community | No | Yes |
| Member directory | No | Yes |
| Events | No | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Partial | Yes |
| Leadership development | No | Partial |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | No | No |
| Investment discussions | No | Yes |
| Investment opportunities | No | Partial |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | Low | High |
| Social emphasis | Low | Medium |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: HBR Advisory Council · On Deck