Bloomberg, June 25, 2019: Chief, the New York club for elite women, is expanding
Chief, a private club for the powerful women of New York City, launched in January with 200 members and a party in Tribeca. Six months later, the network has a 5,000-person waiting list, nationwide demand and, now, money to grow.
Chief on Tuesday announced a $22 million series A investment round led by Ken Chenault at General Catalyst and Alexa Von Tobel at Inspired Capital. The chief executive officer of American Express Co. until 2018, Chenault will also join Chief’s board, as will von Tobel. Chief plans to use the money to expand in New York and open chapters in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, and Washington by the end of 2020.
Unlike women’s trade groups or other professional networks, Chief is only interested in women who are already successful — defined as a job at the vice president level or higher. Often members get their employers to cover the cost of the annual dues, which are set at $5,400 or $7,800, depending on experience level. They get access to the Tribeca clubhouse, a Slack channel, and events with speakers like Whoopi Goldberg and Valerie Jarrett.
