CDO Club
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersLong Beach, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CDO Club does
CDO Club, legally Innovation Exchange LLC, is a private professional membership and events organization founded in 2012–2013 and headquartered in Long Beach, California. It operates as a global community for Chief Digital Officers (CDOs), Chief Data and Analytics Officers (CDAOs), and the emerging Chief AI Officer (CAIO) persona, running annual in-person summits in more than nine cities including NYC, Boston, Washington DC, London, Tokyo, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Sydney, Amsterdam, and Dubai, plus online events during 2020–2022. The company was founded by CEO David Mathison and remains independently operated with no disclosed institutional funding.
The product surface consists of seven named offerings: annual membership subscriptions, the CDO/CDAO Summit series (eleven editions since 2013), the Chief AI Officer Summit series (launched December 2023 in Boston), the CDO Career executive-search and fractional CAIO portal, the CDO of the Year award with a Hall of Fame, industry publications, and an on-demand video archive. The underlying technology is a web-based platform for event management, member communications, and video hosting; there is no disclosed proprietary AI/ML technology, app, SDK, or API surface. Marquee partners include IBM (flagship 'IBM CDO Summit' sponsor across NYC, Boston, and SF), Thomson Reuters, BBC, and Alation.
The business model combines annual membership fees, event registration and corporate sponsorship revenue, executive search and fractional CAIO placement fees, and publication/media revenue. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Distribution is direct-to-executive through flagship summits, a members-only portal, and organic social plus Mailchimp email marketing. The company claims a 100k+ global C-suite member base and operates sub-brands including CAIO Club, CAIO Summit, CDAO Summit, and Web3 Summit/Club.
CDO Club firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CDO Club
- Legal name
- Innovation Exchange LLC
- Website
- https://CDOClub.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CDO Club industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Executive Networking and Professional Membership Services
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)
Keywords
Where CDO Club is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Long Beach
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
CDO Club business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees for access to the CDO professional community, resources, and networking opportunities
- Event Tickets and Sponsorships: Revenue from CDO/CDAO Summits and Chief AI Officer Summits through attendee registration fees and corporate sponsorships (e.g., IBM CDO Summit sponsorship)
- Executive Search and Career Services: Placement services for CAIO/CDAO/CDO and AI/GenAI positions through their CDO Career page, including fractional CAIO placements
- Publications: Revenue from industry publications and thought leadership content for the CDO/CAIO community
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
CDO Club product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CDO Club operates a global professional membership community and summit series for Chief Digital Officers (CDOs), Chief Data and Analytics Officers (CDAOs), and Chief AI Officers (CAIOs). It runs in-person summits across major global cities (NYC, Boston, Washington DC, London, Tokyo, Dubai, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Sydney, Amsterdam), provides an executive search/job board for C-suite digital/data/AI roles, and produces thought leadership publications and video archives for its members.
Product overview
CDO Club is a professional membership organization for digital and data executives, operating as a platform-plus-events model. The core offering includes membership access, CDO/CDAO Summits, and Chief AI Officer Summits, supported by complementary products including a career/job board, publications, and video archives. The company connects Chief Digital Officers, Chief Data/Analytics Officers, and Chief AI Officers through in-person events and online resources.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CDO Club Membership Annual professional membership for CDOs, CDAOs, and CAIOs providing access to the CDO Club community, networking events, resources, publications, video archives, and career/executive search support.
- CDO/CDAO Summits In-person and online summits bringing together Chief Digital Officers and Chief Data/Analytics Officers for keynote sessions, panel discussions, and peer networking. Events are hosted globally in cities including NYC, Boston, Washington DC, London, Tokyo, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Sydney, and Amsterdam, with corporate sponsors such as IBM and Thomson Reuters.
- Chief AI Officer Summits Dedicated summits for the emerging Chief AI Officer role covering AI strategy, AI governance, enterprise implementation, and innovation. Designed for C-suite executives responsible for AI at large organizations.
- CDO Career / Executive Search Executive search and placement services for CDO, CDAO, and CAIO roles, including fractional CAIO placements. Functions as a specialized job board and recruiting channel for enterprise hiring organizations seeking senior digital, data, and AI executives.
Quantifiable outcome
- 11 consecutive CDAO Summits delivered since 2013
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use CDO Club
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CDO Club technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
CDO Club partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.
- AlationminorAlation sponsored the Global CDO Summit video content, providing marketing support in exchange for brand visibility among the CDO/CDAO executive community.
- IBMflagshipIBM is the primary corporate sponsor for CDO/CTO Summits, hosting branded events under the 'IBM CDO Summit' name in NYC (June 2023), Boston (December 2022), and San Francisco (November 2022). IBM provides event sponsorship, venue hosting, and marketing support for these executive-level gatherings.
- BBCcoreBBC partnered with CDO Club for the London CDO Summit 2014, serving as venue host and event sponsor for the UK edition of the executive summit.
- Thomson ReuterscoreThomson Reuters served as event sponsor and venue host for CDO Summits in NYC across multiple years (2013, 2015, 2016), providing brand association and marketing support for the executive networking events.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CDO Club competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Evanta (a Gartner company): Gartner-owned executive community and conference operator running CIO, CISO, CHRO, and other C-suite leadership communities globally. Larger incumbent offering a directly comparable membership-plus-governance-event model across multiple C-suite personas.
- The Conference Board: Nonprofit business membership organization producing executive conferences, councils, and research for senior business leaders including CHROs, CIOs, and CDOs. Comparable peer-network and convening function for senior executives at major enterprises.
- MARCUS EVANS: Global events company producing executive-level conferences across multiple industries and functions including digital, data, and AI leadership. Comparable as enterprise-targeted summit operator at greater scale and broader scope.
- Reuters Events: Media-backed operator of executive summits and content for senior decision-makers in digital, data, finance, and transformation. Comparable high-end enterprise event series with similar target audience of Fortune-level executives.
- Informa (Tech & Enterprise Events): Large publicly listed B2B events and media group operating conferences across technology, data, AI, and digital leadership globally (e.g., Big Data LDN, AI Summit). Comparable as enterprise-focused professional conference organizer at much greater scale.
Direct peers
- Chief Executive Group: Peer community, events, and content platform serving CEOs and senior executives. Comparable membership-and-summit model targeted at a specific C-suite persona with associated publications and awards programs.
- CIO.com / Foundry (IDG): Media and event properties serving CIOs and adjacent technology executives including CDO/CAIO-adjacent coverage. Comparable audience and content-plus-events model for technology-focused C-suite leadership.
- CMO Club: Membership community and event organizer serving Chief Marketing Officers — structurally analogous to CDO Club's model of curated, executive-only networking events and content for a specific C-suite persona. Direct comparable on go-to-market motion.
- FMI (Financial Management Institute): Membership association serving senior finance, data, and technology leaders through conferences, peer networks, and content. Directly comparable association-style model targeting a similar enterprise leadership audience.
Others
- Heidrick & Struggles (Executive Search): Global executive search firm placing CDO, CDAO, and CAIO-caliber leaders at large enterprises. Comparable as a participant in the same senior digital/data executive talent market that CDO Club's executive search and fractional services address.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CDO Club social profiles
Digital presenceCDO Club financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CDO Club leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
CDO Club funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CDO Club M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CDO Club
What does CDO Club do?
CDO Club operates a global professional membership community and summit series for Chief Digital Officers (CDOs), Chief Data and Analytics Officers (CDAOs), and Chief AI Officers (CAIOs). It runs in-person summits across major global cities (NYC, Boston, Washington DC, London, Tokyo, Dubai, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Sydney, Amsterdam), provides an executive search/job board for C-suite digital/data/AI roles, and produces thought leadership publications and video archives for its members.
Is CDO Club a public or private company?
CDO Club is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CDO Club founded?
CDO Club was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CDO Club based?
CDO Club is headquartered in Long Beach, United States, in the North America region.
How does CDO Club make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are event Tickets and Sponsorships, executive Search and Career Services and publications.
Who are CDO Club's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Evanta (a Gartner company), The Conference Board, MARCUS EVANS, Reuters Events and Informa (Tech & Enterprise Events). Direct peers are Chief Executive Group, CIO.com / Foundry (IDG), CMO Club and FMI (Financial Management Institute). Heidrick & Struggles (Executive Search) is listed as an others.
Does CDO Club have an API?
No public API is recorded for CDO Club.
What industry is CDO Club in?
CDO Club's product category is Executive Networking and Professional Membership Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHACAA, Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies). Its NAICS code is 56192 and its SIC code is 8600.