DCA Live

What DCA Live does

DCA Live is a Washington, DC-based curated events and networking company founded in 2014 by Doug Anderson, operating with a small team of 1-10 employees. The company designs and runs a portfolio of event programs that connect DC business decision-makers, including Heat List recognition events across verticals (tech, government contracting, real estate, associations, HR, cyber), invitation-only Executive Roundtables for 8-10 C-level participants, and the flagship CapitalCapital annual conference with a DefenseTech-focused Dual Use track. The platform also operates two invitation-only peer councils (Growth Company Council and Venture Capital Council) and publishes a daily email newsletter reaching 10,000+ DC business leaders.

The company makes money through three revenue streams: (1) per-event ticket sales ranging from $69 to $599, (2) recurring annual memberships with Individual tiers at $499-$999 and Corporate tiers at $1,499-$1,999 that bundle event access, meet-up attendance, and attendee lists, and (3) a partnership/sponsorship program with 125+ DC-area professional services and B2B solutions providers, anchored by Flagship-tier sponsors such as Deloitte, JP Morgan Chase, Foley & Lardner, BDO, and Cresa. CapitalCapital 2026 also generates showcase fees of $500-$750 from participating early-stage and growth-stage companies.

The technology stack is minimal: the company uses a Squarespace-hosted website (dca-live.com) for event listings, ticket sales, and membership registration, with no proprietary platform, no API, no mobile app, and no AI/ML capabilities disclosed. Distribution is driven primarily by the daily email newsletter and partner cross-promotion, with physical event venues across the DC metro area including Crystal City, Arlington, Navy Yard, Georgetown Club, and Tysons. The company is privately held and founder-owned with no disclosed venture capital or private equity backing.

Name

DCA Live

Legal name

DCA Live

Website

https://dca-live.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DCA Live, founded in 2014 in Washington, DC, is a curated business events and networking platform serving DC executives, investors, and high-growth companies through Heat List recognition events, Executive Roundtables, the CapitalCapital annual conference, and a daily email newsletter reaching 10,000+ business leaders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Events and Networking Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Live Event Marketing, Sponsorship & Brand Partnerships (MPAIAFAI), Corporate Meetings & Conferences (Internal/External Business Events) (MPAGAHAA)

Keywords

• Business networking events
• Executive roundtables
• Industry recognition programs
• Venture capital conferences
• Professional community events

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Event Ticket Sales: Individual event tickets for Heat List programs, roundtables, summits, and conferences ranging from $69-$599 per event. Tickets sold directly through the website for various programs including Red Hot Companies, GovCon CFO Stars, Tech CFO Stars, HR Leadership Awards, and more.
2. Membership Subscriptions: Annual and multi-year membership tiers including Individual Platinum ($999), Gold ($799), Silver ($499) and Corporate Platinum ($1,999), Gold ($1,499) memberships. Members receive event tickets, access to meet-ups, attendee lists, and profile features in the daily email and LinkedIn.
3. Sponsorships and Partnerships: Partnership programs with 125+ DC-area professional services and B2B solutions providers. Strategic partners and annual partners receive logo placement, event sponsorship, and marketing benefits. Partnership opportunities include Heat List Program, Thought Leadership Program, Executive Roundtables, Leadership Councils, and sponsored digital content.
4. CapitalCapital Showcase Fees: Early stage and growth stage showcase company slots for the CapitalCapital conference sold at $250-$750, providing companies visibility to investors and the DC tech community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DCA Live designs, hosts, and produces curated in-person business events and networking programs for the Washington, DC business community. Its offerings include award/recognition events (Heat Lists), private executive roundtables, annual conferences (CapitalCapital and CapitalCapital Dual Use), membership programs, invitation-only councils, and a daily email newsletter. The company sells event tickets, memberships, and sponsorships to business leaders, investors, and professional services firms across the DC region.

Product overview

DCA Live is a business events and networking company that serves as a platform for connections and intelligence in the Washington, DC business community. The company operates a portfolio of event-based products centered around its core Heat List recognition programs, Executive Roundtables peer networks, and flagship CapitalCapital annual conferences (including CapitalCapital Dual Use for defense tech). These are supported by membership tiers (Platinum, Gold, Silver for individuals and corporations), specialized councils (Growth Company Council and Venture Capital Council), and a daily digital newsletter. The offering functions as an integrated event-management and networking platform rather than a SaaS product with technical integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CapitalCapital: Annual convention convening and connecting DC's tech community and venture investors from the region and beyond.
• Heat Lists

Products and services

• Heat List Events Recurring award/recognition event series celebrating leading executives and innovators across multiple DC-area business communities including GovCon, technology, real estate, associations, HR, and cybersecurity sectors. For business leaders, executives, and innovators in the DC region.
• Executive Roundtables
• CapitalCapital Conference
• CapitalCapital Dual Use
• DCA Live Membership
• Growth Company Council
• Venture Capital Council
• DCA Live Daily Newsletter
• Thought Leadership Events
• CapitalCapital Showcase

Quantifiable outcome

• 650+ business leaders engaged via 70+ roundtables since March 2020
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Foley & LardnerflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Strategic partner for DCA Live events including CapitalCapital. Provides thought leadership content and speaker participation at events.
• BDOflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Strategic partner supporting DCA Live's event programming and annual partner program.
• CresacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Strategic partner for real estate-related events and programs.
• ForvisMazarscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Annual partner providing accounting/finance expertise for events and sponsorships.
• DeloitteflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Annual partner supporting technology and innovation programming.
• JP Morgan ChaseflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Financial services partner for CapitalCapital and major events.
• PillsburycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Legal partner sponsoring events and providing speaker expertise.
• Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & RosaticoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Venture/tech focused legal partner for CapitalCapital and tech events.
• Crowell & MoringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Legal partner for GovCon and government contracting focused events.
• GenslercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Architecture/design partner for real estate events and workplace-focused programs.
• CooleycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Legal partner for venture capital and startup focused events.
• Gunderson DettmercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Venture-focused law firm as Venture Partner for CapitalCapital.
• Lowenstein SandlercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Legal partner for CapitalCapital events and tech-focused programming.
• RequiemminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Annual partner supporting DCA Live programs.
• RSMcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Accounting/consulting partner as annual partner and event sponsor.
• Arlington Economic DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Government economic development partner supporting DC tech ecosystem events.
• Capital TurnaroundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Venue partner for CapitalCapital 2026 at Navy Yard location in Washington DC.
• Eastern FoundrycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026DC-based startup/tech hub hosting Cyber Stars and other events.
• 125+ DC Professional Services FirmscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Network of 125+ DC-area professional services and B2B solutions providers who are DCA Live Partners. Includes law firms, accounting firms, banks, real estate firms, and consulting companies. Partners receive logo placement, sponsorship opportunities, and access to the DCA Live executive community.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Built In: Built In operates city-focused tech community platforms with events, newsletters, and employer branding in markets like DC, NYC, Austin, and Boston. Its hybrid media-events model targeting tech professionals and employers is structurally similar to DCA Live's curated community and event approach.
• Bisnow: Bisnow operates commercial real estate-focused events, newsletters, and media across major US metros including DC. It is directly comparable to DCA Live in running regional business events with sponsorship-driven monetization and an email-newsletter-centric distribution model.
• Capital Factory: Capital Factory is a Texas-based tech startup hub and event operator that runs curated founder/investor programming, demo days, and recognition events. Its community-and-events model serving a specific metro tech ecosystem is closely analogous to DCA Live's DC business community focus.
• Eastern Foundry: Eastern Foundry is a DC-based startup hub and event host for the government contracting and defense tech community, and is itself a DCA Live partner. Its community-platform-plus-events model targeting GovCon and dual-use founders overlaps directly with DCA Live's CapitalCapital Dual Use programming.
• Bisnow Media: Bisnow's events division runs industry-specific summits across CRE, tech, and government in multiple US markets, with sponsorship- and ticket-driven revenue. The dual focus on a newsletter audience plus curated live events parallels DCA Live's combined Heat Lists + newsletter + CapitalCapital structure.

Emerging players

• Startup Grind: Startup Grind is a global startup community that runs local chapter events and an annual conference, monetizing via sponsorships and tickets. While geographically broader, its founder/operator networking events have functional overlap with DCA Live's Heat List and roundtable formats.
• Techweek: Techweek runs multi-city tech conferences and festivals with sponsorship- and ticket-driven revenue, targeting founders, investors, and tech professionals. Its event-format portfolio (flagship conferences plus ancillary programming) overlaps with DCA Live's CapitalCapital plus Heat Lists approach.

Regional players

• GeekWire: GeekWire is a Seattle-based tech media and events company serving the Pacific Northwest tech ecosystem with newsletters, awards programs, and conferences. Its regional tech-community-and-events model is structurally analogous to DCA Live's DC focus, but operating in a different geography.

Broad incumbents

• Washington Business Journal: Washington Business Journal is the dominant regional business media outlet serving the DC area with events, awards programs, and a daily newsletter. It overlaps with DCA Live in DC business audience and event formats but operates at significantly larger scale as part of American City Business Journals.
• Axios HQ / Axios Events: Axios runs professional events and Pro/Local newsletters across multiple US markets, including DC, with sponsorship-driven revenue and executive audiences. Its combination of curated smart-newsletter distribution and live events targeting senior professionals is comparable to DCA Live's offering at a larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DCALiveMedia
• Xx.com/dcalive

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DCA Live