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§ Private Profile · New York City, NY, USA
Exclusive networking community and leadership development platform for senior female executives, focused on C-suite advancement.
Based in New York, New York, Chief operates an exclusive networking community and leadership development platform designed to advance senior female executives into C-suite roles. The organization utilizes a subscription-based model with annual membership fees starting at $5,800, providing users access to in-person clubhouses, virtual events, and structured peer support. The platform serves over 12,000 active members from more than 8,500 companies, including prominent corporate clients such as Google, Goldman Sachs, and Nike. Demonstrating significant demand, the network maintains a waitlist of approximately 60,000 prospective individuals seeking entry into the professional community. Chief achieved a $1.1 billion valuation after securing a $100 million Series B round in 2022, bringing its total funding to $140 million from institutional investors like CapitalG and General Catalyst. The enterprise was founded in 2019 by Carolyn Childers and Lindsay Kaplan.
Chief has raised $140.0M across 4 funding rounds.
Key people at Chief.
Chief has raised $140.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Chief has raised $140.0M across 4 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $100.0M Series B in March 2022.
Chief is a membership-based professional network and community platform exclusively for senior women executives, including C-suite leaders, designed to advance their leadership skills, foster peer connections, and drive career growth.[2][3][4][8] Founded in 2019 and headquartered in New York City, it offers vetted peer groups, executive coaching, workshops, digital networking, in-person events at clubhouses (in the US and UK), and training from institutions like the Wharton School, serving women across industries such as technology, finance, healthcare, and media.[2][4][7][8] With unicorn status achieved in 2022 after raising $140 million in Series B funding (including $100 million from CapitalG), Chief has grown to represent companies from 85% of the Fortune 100, with 85% of members in C-suite roles and a collective $1.7 trillion in managed budgets.[4][5][8] Its growth momentum is strong, evidenced by high member retention (especially for employee-sponsored memberships) and expansion into corporate partnerships that help companies retain top talent amid leadership turnover costs.[6]
Chief was co-founded in January 2019 by Carolyn Childers, a former executive at Handy and Primary Venture Partners, and Lindsay Kaplan, ex-vice president at Casper, who identified a gap in targeted networking for high-level women leaders.[4] Launching in New York as a private, membership-based organization, it quickly gained traction: by June 2019, it secured $22 million in Series A funding led by investors like General Catalyst's Ken Chenault and Inspired Capital's Alexa von Tobel, with participation from GGV Capital, Primary Venture Partners, Flybridge Capital, and BoxGroup.[4] A pivotal moment came in October 2022 when Chief reached $1.1 billion unicorn valuation via a $140 million Series B round, anchored by $100 million from Alphabet's CapitalG, bringing partner Laela Sturdy onto the board.[4][5] This funding fueled operational scaling, including digital platform enhancements and clubhouse openings, evolving from a networking startup into a comprehensive leadership development powerhouse.[2][3]
Chief rides the wave of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) trends in leadership, addressing the persistent underrepresentation of women in C-suites (still below 10% in many Fortune 500 firms) amid demands for cross-industry collaboration in a disruptive business climate.[2][6] Its timing aligns with post-pandemic shifts toward hybrid work, digital transformation, and talent wars, where companies face executive turnover costs up to 200% of salary—Chief's model helps retain and upskill women leaders, influencing ecosystem-wide retention and decision-making.[6] By partnering with Fortune 100 firms and fostering multihyphenate leaders, it amplifies women's influence on corporate spend, vendor choices, and innovation, while its tech-enabled platform (e.g., seamless digital networking) positions it as a digirati player in professional services.[2][5][8] This extends impact beyond members, shaping broader norms for executive development and gender equity in tech-driven industries.
Chief is poised for continued expansion, potentially deepening enterprise partnerships and global clubhouses as DEI investments rebound and leadership demands intensify in AI-disrupted economies. Trends like personalized, outcomes-driven development and cross-sector networks will propel it, with its $1.1B valuation enabling tech innovations for even broader reach. Its influence may evolve from women-focused networking to a dominant force in executive ecosystems, keeping more women at the top as it scales impact across industries—solidifying its role as the go-to platform for ambitious leaders.
Key people at Chief.
Chief has raised $140.0M in total across 4 funding rounds.
Chief's investors include CapitalG, 3one4 Capital, Accel, Addition, Alpha Edison, Amino Capital, AngelList, General Catalyst, Inspired Capital, Khosla Ventures, MUFG Innovation Partners, NFX.
