Comparison · 10 material differences
Small Giants Community vs Young Entrepreneur Council
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
Networking organization
Verified September 2026 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…
Networking organization
Young Entrepreneur Council
Founders, co-founders, CEOs and operators building a company now, screened for fit and contribution rather than a published financial threshold
What the records say
- Role or title — Small Giants Community: The community is designed for founders, chief executives and next-generation leaders of small and mid-sized businesses; Young Entrepreneur Council: "founders, co-founders, CEOs, and builders who are in the arena right now".
- Annual dues — Small Giants Community: $0 a year; Young Entrepreneur Council: Not publicly disclosed. YEC's membership, application and FAQ pages state that membership is fee-based in effect ("A seat is earned, not bought") but publish no price; cost is discussed after acceptance..
Side by side
| Small Giants Community | Young Entrepreneur Council | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Networking organization | Networking organization |
| Founded | 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.) | 2012 (The current YEC About page states the council was founded in 2012. Earlier material and press describe the organisation launching around 2010-2011 under founder Scott Gerber; yec.co itself first appears in the Internet Archive in November 2013.) |
| Headquarters | United States | United States |
| Geographic footprint | 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. | Online community with member-hosted dinners and in-person gatherings; no chapters |
| Members | 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. | Not publicly disclosed. YEC does not publish a member count on its current site. |
| Chapters | No chapters. The community operates online with a single annual summit and cohort programmes. | No chapters |
| Primary audience | 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. | Founders, co-founders, CEOs and operators building a company now, screened for fit and contribution rather than a published financial threshold |
| Typical member | 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. | Founders, co-founders, CEOs and builders currently running a business. The FAQ states "Young is the mind, not the age", so the historical under-45 rule is no longer presented as a test. YEC does not publish revenue, funding or exit thresholds on its current site. |
| Qualification | ||
| 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 ↗ | "founders, co-founders, CEOs, and builders who are in the arena right now"The FAQ adds "Young is the mind, not the age", indicating the historical age ceiling is no longer applied as a published testverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | No |
| Sponsor required | No | Sometimes |
| Application process | 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. | A short form starts the process, followed by email confirmation and then the full application. YEC states that a person reads every application and that applicants hear back either way. Shortlisted candidates complete an interview, which YEC frames as a two-way assessment of fit. Applicants may indicate that a member referred them. |
| Selectivity | 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. | Not publicly disclosed. YEC states applications are reviewed against "the same bar the members built" but publishes no acceptance rate. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $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 ↗ | Not publicly disclosed. YEC's membership, application and FAQ pages state that membership is fee-based in effect ("A seat is earned, not bought") but publish no price; cost is discussed after acceptance.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Programme fee | $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 ↗ | Not publicly disclosed |
| Event costs | $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 ↗ | Not publicly disclosed |
| Membership term | Annual, billed annually, cancellable at any time; the free tier has no term | Not documented |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | 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 | Live online sessions, in-person dinners and member-hosted gatherings scheduled through a public events calendar |
| Peer 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 | No published forum structure; YEC describes itself as "a small circle of peers who act as a mirror, not a directory you scroll" |
| Confidentiality | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | 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. | Not documented |
| Organized as | Virtual, Event-focused, Cohort-based | Virtual, Cohort-based, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | Partial | Partial |
| Local chapters | No | No |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Yes |
| Online community | Yes | Yes |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Yes |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Partial |
| Leadership development | Yes | Partial |
| Retreats | Partial | Not documented |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | Yes | No |
| Investment discussions | No | Not documented |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | Partial | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | High |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Medium |
Next
Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Small Giants Community · Young Entrepreneur Council