Most of us have an informal group of people we turn to for advice on life, politics, and everything in between.

CEOs are no different, whether they’re a first-time CEO at a startup or a CEO at a Fortune 500 company. For every one of them, it is indeed lonely at the top (even at well-established executive advisory peer group organizations). That’s why CEO mastermind groups exist to help CEOs of all stripes accelerate their learning and strengthen their networks.

In this guide, you’ll get a roadmap for the top CEO and executive advisory peer groups you should consider. You’ll also get a comparison of their top benefits and prices, along with recommendations for which peer group organization to choose from based on your experience level as a CEO.

What are CEO Peer Groups?

CEO peer groups are small gatherings of CEOs who come together periodically to learn from each other and serve as each other’s personal advisory boards. 

They operate on the premise that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” where collective thinking, problem-solving, and ideating lead to faster positive outcomes for each CEO or executive.

These groups can be informal or formal, and tend to range from four to 16 CEOs in size. And, most of these groups cost at least a few thousand dollars per year in both membership and initiation fees.

Related: How Founders Build Meaningful Connections

CEO Peer Advisory Group Use Cases

Regardless of company size and or annual revenue, CEO groups tend to have the same focus areas and use cases:

• Helping each other solve business challenges.
• Exchange business strategy ideas.
• Sharing best practices and tips on all things business (e.g., growth, performance).
• Connecting non-competing executives to each other.

Top Benefits of Joining a CEO Peer Group

• Accelerated learning and growth from other successful peers.
• Being exposed to new ways and thinking of tackling problems and challenges.
• Overcoming the loneliness at the top.
• Strengthening and expanding your network with like-minded people.
• Safe space for venting, sharing challenges and experiences, and just being you.

Related: How CEOs Accelerate Their Startup’s Growth

What to Look For in a Startup CEO Peer Group

• Small group sessions with no egos. 
• Fellow executives who have the “Beginner’s Mindset” and willingness to learn.
• Advisors and CEOs who will constructively challenge you and provide different perspectives.
• Commitment from everyone to helping you and everyone else in the group.

Top Founder CEO Peer Groups for 2024

1) Matcha

Matcha helps professionals build more meaningful 1:1 connections with less work. This platform is built on the notion that CEOs have a network, they just need a turn-key way to activate it.  

With Matcha Pods, CEOs and executives from all walks of life can up-level, learn from each other, and collaborate in a safe space without spending thousands of dollars in membership and initiation fees.

CEOs can set the cadence and frequency of their pod meetings, and easily invite up to five other CEOs to their pod. And, execs can join (or create) CEO matching programs that automatically connect them with other execs for 1:1 meetings every month.

Best for: CEOs and executives of any sized company, especially startup CEOs and first-time CEOs.

Pricing: $120/yr ($10/mo if subscribed annually; $12/mo if month-to-month).

2) Vistage

Vistage might be what you’re looking for if you want broader networking with other CEOs and executives: it bills itself as “the world’s largest executive coaching organization” with 45,000+ members across 35 countries.

Like Matcha Pods, Vistage offers small group forums for CEOs via their Chief Executive Program, but with 12 to 16 other execs. CEOs in the program meet in their forums once a month for an all-day meeting and with an executive coach.

And like almost all executive peer advisory group organizations, Vistage offers executive and CEO education and networking events.

Best for: CEOs or high-level executives at companies generating at least $5M in revenue (i.e., execs at small and mid-market companies).

Pricing: $10,500/yr + $2,500 one-time initiation fee.

3) The Alternative Board (TAB)

TAB is a lesser-known (and thus, smaller) executive peer group organization compared to the others on this list given their focus is on servicing SMB owners. But, CEOs and executives at SMBs are welcome to join.

Similar to Vistage’s benefits, TAB members have to meet with six to 10 other business owners and execs every month for both half-day personal advisory board meetings and 1:1 executive coaching meetings.

Compared to the executive peer advisory group orgs listed here (with the exception of Matcha), TAB’s lower price point and 30-day minimum commitment might be attractive to those looking to dip their proverbial toes in the water.

Best for: Business owners, CEOs, or key decision-makers at small to mid-market companies generating between $500K to $20M in revenue per year.

Pricing: $7,200 to $10,800/yr ($600/mo to $900/mo); minimum commitment is 30 days.

4) Leaders In Tech (LIT)

Leaders In Tech is not well known outside of Silicon Valley. But since its founding in 2017, LIT has attracted founders and executives (like the co-founder of Figma) to its 10-month leadership development and executive peer advisory group program.

Unlike other executive peer groups, LIT emphasizes developing interpersonal skills in members’ personal and work lives.

Startup leaders in a LIT cohort are separated into small groups of 13 where they meet monthly (and quarterly in-person) to discuss leadership in action, their interpersonal challenges, and how to build high performing and culturally healthy companies.

Best for: Founders and executives at pre-IPO startups, especially those who want to grow their interpersonal skills.

Pricing: $19,850 for a 10-month fellowship (note: before you apply, you must first be nominated by a LIT alumnus or partner).

5) Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO)

EO is one of the largest executive small group forum organizations in the world with 18,800+ members in 86 countries (it split off from the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) back in 1987, but members in both orgs network and do business with each other).

Similar to executive peer group orgs like YPO and Vistage, EO requires members to participate in monthly small group forum meetings with six to eight other execs/leaders. And, members get access to executive education events and networking opportunities.

Best for: Owners, founders, or majority stakeholders of a company generating at least $1M in revenue per year (and for those at VC-backed companies, you must have at least $2M in privately-raised funds or $5M in publicly-raised funds + at least 10 employees).

Pricing: $2,630/yr + $3,500 one-time initiation fee. You also have to pay an additional annual local and or regional chapter membership fee (varies by chapter) + one-time chapter initiation fees (i.e., you’re paying at least $10,000/yr in total to maintain membership).

6) Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO)

YPO is the oldest executive peer advisory group organization in the US, and one of the more well-known executive networks alongside EO. YPO has 35,000+ members worldwide.

YPO members get immediate access to a large global network (you have to join a local chapter) and attend monthly peer group meetings (what they call “forums”) and annual chapter retreats.

Best for: CEOs (or executives who hold the title of President, Managing Director/Partner, Board Chair, or equivalent) who are under 45-years-old overseeing companies that have at least 50 full-time employees or at least 15 full-time employees AND minimum $2.5M in annual compensation. Furthermore, depending on your company type, you need to be generating at least $12M to $15M in annual revenue (or have at least $300M in AUM if you’re overseeing a financial institution).

Pricing: $4,480/yr + $4,480 one-time initiation fee. Similar to EO, you also have to pay additional annual local and or regional chapters’ annual + one-time initiation fees (varies by chapter, with some chapters charging as high as $7,500 in one-time initiation fees). And like EO, you’re paying at least $10,000/yr in total to maintain membership. 

7) G100

G100 is the most exclusive and opaque executive peer advisory network – so much so that it operates on an invite-only basis and membership costs are unknown (no surprise given its founding members include Jack Welch and Michael Dell).

Members of G100 hail from Fortune 500 companies, and are able to participate in executive education talks led by captains of industry (for example, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Amazon CEO Andy Jassy were featured speakers).

Best for: Fortune 500 executives (invite-only).

Pricing: Unknown (only members know, and they certainly won’t tell).

8) Chief Executive Network (CEN) and Senior Executive Network (SEN)

CEN is one of the smaller CEO peer groups with 700+ CEOs, while its sister organization SEN has over 500+ executives in its network. Similar to G100, prospective members need to be approved by current CEN and SEN members, respectively.

CEN and SEN both offer the same benefits like all of the CEO advisory groups listed here.

Best for: CEOs and executives at companies that are similar to CEN and SEN members’ companies in terms of scale and growth.
Pricing: Both CEN and SEN don’t list pricing on their website (they play coy by mentioning the ROI from being a member), but membership for both organizations is about $12,000/yr.

Top Founder CEO Peer Groups: The Bottom Line

CEOs need advisors and peers who will help expand their thinking and challenge their worldviews for the better. But, it can be hard to find a CEO peer group that works best for you (especially when you’re trying to stay lean).

CEO and executive networking groups have been a foundation of business success for a long history. Did you know Ben Franklin founded the first entrepreneur peer advisory group – The Junto aka Leather Apron Club– back in 1727. 

You simply need to pick the right style for you.  While large networking groups are beneficial to start relationships, but you miss out on building meaningful connections that get from small groups. The largest CEO peer groups like EO and YPO require thousands of dollars to be a member and your mileage may vary (some Redditors have shared their experiences). There are other options that truly strengthen your network without breaking the bank.

Looking for the best solution for CEOs to build stronger peer support from their existing, value-packed network? 

Get started with Matcha today.