What Out Leadership does

Out Leadership is a privately held, New York–based non-profit B-Corporation founded in 2010 by Todd Sears that operates as a membership-based advisory and talent development platform for Fortune 500 companies and global financial institutions seeking to advance LGBTQ+ inclusion. Its core offerings span three pillars: (1) talent development programs — OutNEXT (emerging leaders), OutQUORUM (board-level executives, including the world's largest board-ready LGBTQ+ candidate database), and OutWOMEN+ (LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary executives); (2) research and diagnostic products — the OL-iQ inclusion diagnostic, the annual State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index (sixth edition in 2025, covering all 50 US states), 25 Country CEO Briefs, and Board Diversity Reports covering Fortune 1000, Nasdaq, FTSE 350, ASX200, and Hang Seng-listed firms; and (3) convening infrastructure including annual regional summits across five continents, C-suite roundtables, and the OutHour webinar series, all unified under the proprietary Return on Equality™ framework.

The underlying technology is not proprietary: Out Leadership runs entirely on third-party SaaS (Salesforce, MailChimp, Qualtrics, Eventbrite, Dropbox, Google Apps, QuickBooks, Asana) and uses its network and brand as the primary assets rather than a software platform. Its competitive position rests on a 1,200+ member CEO network, 40,000+ leaders across the community, and an ecosystem of more than 11 official non-profit partners plus 20+ supporting NGOs.

Revenue is generated through annual corporate membership fees paid by nearly 100 large enterprises, supplemented by event sponsorship and bespoke programs. Member renewal exceeds 90% year-over-year, and companies typically split fees across multiple departments and regional budgets, which structurally raises switching costs. No external venture, private equity, or strategic investment is disclosed, and the organization has remained founder-led under Todd Sears since inception.

Name

Out Leadership

Legal name

Out Leadership, LLC

Website

https://outleadership.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Out Leadership is a New York–based LGBTQ+ B-Corporation that provides membership-based advisory, talent development, and research services to nearly 100 Fortune 500 companies, operating a global network of 1,200+ member CEOs and 40,000+ leaders across five continents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

LGBTQ+ Business Advisory Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations (BPAGAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

DEI, Inclusive Leadership & Cultural Intelligence Coaching (EDABANAJ), Inclusive Leadership & Leading Diverse Teams (EDABAAAM), Organizational Culture & Values-Based Leadership (EDABAAAE), Executive Leadership Summits (C-Suite, Board, Strategy Offsites) (THAHAMAA)

Keywords

• LGBTQ+ business advisory
• Talent development programs
• Board diversity consulting
• Corporate inclusion diagnostics
• Diversity membership network

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Corporate Membership Fees: Out Leadership generates revenue through annual corporate membership fees. The membership covers the calendar year (January 1 to December 31). Companies that wish to remain members must renew each year. Membership provides access to talent programs (OutNEXT, OutQUORUM, OutWOMEN+), exclusive research and events through a member portal, CEO business briefs, climate index briefs, global summits, virtual events, C-suite roundtables, member council sessions, and the OL-iQ diagnostic tool.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Core offering

Out Leadership is a membership-based business advisory organization that helps Fortune 500 companies and global institutions advance LGBTQ+ inclusion through talent development programs (OutNEXT, OutQUORUM, OutWOMEN+, OutSPOKEN), proprietary research and diagnostic tools (OL-iQ inclusion diagnostic, State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index, Country CEO Briefs, Board Diversity Reports), and global convenings such as regional summits and C-Suite roundtables. Its unifying concept, the Return on Equality™ framework, links LGBTQ+ inclusion to measurable business performance, and the membership delivers access to this research, talent programs, events, and a member portal.

Product overview

Out Leadership is a global LGBTQ+ business advisory organization operating as a B-Corporation. The company offers a portfolio of talent development programs (OutNEXT for emerging leaders, OutQUORUM for board-level executives, OutWOMEN+ for LGBTQ+ women and allies), research products (State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index, Country CEO Briefs, Board Diversity Reports), and advisory tools (OL-iQ diagnostic tool, Board Diversity Guidelines). These offerings are delivered through membership programs that provide access to global summits, events, and exclusive research, all unified under the Return on Equality™ framework that demonstrates inclusion drives business performance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OutNEXT: The first and only global talent accelerator program for LGBTQ+ and ally emerging leaders. Since 2014, OutNEXT has engaged 4,500+ emerging leaders from 200+ organizations on 4 continents.
• OutQUORUM
• OutWOMEN+
• OutSPOKEN
• OL-iQ

Products and services

• Corporate Membership Program Annual corporate membership providing Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, and multinational employers with access to OutNEXT, OutQUORUM, OutWOMEN+ talent programs, exclusive research via the member portal, CEO business briefs, climate index briefs, global summits, virtual events, C-Suite roundtables, member council sessions, and the OL-iQ diagnostic tool.
• OutNEXT The first and only global talent accelerator program for LGBTQ+ and ally emerging leaders, providing leadership development, networking, mentoring, and social impact challenges for professionals 5-8 years into their careers. To date has engaged 4,500+ emerging leaders from 200+ organizations across four continents.
• OutQUORUM The first and only global initiative advocating for LGBTQ+ inclusion on corporate boards. Includes the BoardFit program, the world's largest database of board-ready LGBTQ+ candidates (with 35% women and 12% BIPOC representation), and ongoing research on board diversity policies.
• OutWOMEN+ The first global network dedicated to LGBTQ+ women, nonbinary people, and allies in business. Connects out women in business, celebrates their accomplishments, and leverages their networks to elevate progress for all women in the workplace.
• OL-iQ (Out Leadership Intelligence Quotient) The world's first global LGBTQ+ business diagnostic tool, providing a comprehensive, market-contextualized snapshot of companies' actual performance on LGBTQ+ inclusion benchmarks while identifying specific measures to improve performance and drive business results. Member companies can take the diagnostic and receive a custom report free of charge.
• OutSPOKEN An initiative dedicated to transgender people in business, launched in 2021 with Mila Jam, Out Leadership's senior advisor for transgender initiatives.

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• NEXUSminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Out Leadership partnered with NEXUS in 2023, which convenes LGBTQ+ ERGs in the UK, and published an original piece of research together.
• Out for UndergradminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Out Leadership announced a strategic partnership with Out for Undergrad in 2019 to bridge the talent pipeline between LGBTQ+ students and business leaders.
• HSBCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSBC has been a foundational partner for Out Leadership since 2013, hosting the first LGBTQ+ business summit in Asia in Hong Kong and lighting up their iconic headquarters in rainbow colors. HSBC has hosted 10 Asia Summits (celebrating 10 years of partnership in 2023) and continues to support OutNEXT and other programs globally. Tony Cripps (former CEO HSBC Australia) was instrumental in launching Out Leadership's Australia operations.
• CiticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCiti has been a member and supporter since the first Out on the Street summit in 2011. Citi hosted the 10th annual OutNEXT in 2022 (largest ever gathering of young LGBTQ+ leaders) and hosts the annual OutNEXT Global Summit, including the 2025 summit. Citi's CEO Michael Corbat delivered a keynote at Out on the Street 2014.
• Goldman SachscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoldman Sachs has been a member since the inaugural Out on the Street summit in 2011. CEO Lloyd Blankfein was one of the first four CEOs to speak out for LGBTQ+ rights at the same event in 2012. The firm has participated in marriage equality amicus briefs and continues to support Out Leadership initiatives.
• Morgan StanleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMorgan Stanley has been a member since the inaugural Out on the Street summit in 2011. CEO James Gorman hosted the second Out on the Street summit in 2012. The firm continues to support Out Leadership programs and initiatives.
• Deutsche BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeutsche Bank hosted the inaugural Out on the Street summit in 2011, led by then Americas CEO Seth Waugh. The bank was involved in early advocacy actions including responses to NC HB2 law. Continues as a supporting member firm.
• Bank of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBank of America has been a member since the inaugural Out on the Street summit in 2011. CEO Brian Moynihan participated in the 2012 summit where four CEOs came together for the first time to discuss LGBT equality. Continues to support programs and initiatives.
• BarclayscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBarclays has been a member since the inaugural Out on the Street summit in 2011. Co-hosted the first Out on the Street summit in Asia in 2013 with HSBC. Continues as a supporting member firm.
• BarclayscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKPMG is a founding sponsor of OutQUORUM and launched the BoardFit program in 2016. The firm created Board Diversity Guidelines for US, UK, Australia, and Hong Kong. KPMG's Board Leadership Center supports LGBTQ+ board diversity initiatives.
• KPMGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKPMG is a founding sponsor of OutQUORUM and launched the BoardFit program in 2016. The firm created Board Diversity Guidelines for US, UK, Australia, and Hong Kong. KPMG's Board Leadership Center supports LGBTQ+ board diversity initiatives.
• Egon ZehndercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEgon Zehnder serves as the founding search firm sponsor for OutQUORUM. The firm supports LGBTQ+ board representation initiatives and has been instrumental in driving progress at the board level.
• DiligentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDiligent serves as the research sponsor for OutQUORUM. The firm contributes to board diversity research and data analysis supporting LGBTQ+ inclusive board policies.
• NasdaqcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNasdaq partnered with Out Leadership on board diversity requirements in 2021, using Out Leadership's data, research, and board mapping in their SEC filing. The requirement now mandates all 3,300 Nasdaq-listed companies to have LGBTQ-inclusive board diversity.
• Ropes & GraycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRopes & Gray is Out Leadership's global pro bono legal partner. The firm co-authored Visibility Counts report with Out Leadership and OPEN Finance, and provides ongoing legal support for initiatives.
• FCBcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCB partnered with Out Leadership and EY to launch AllyUp, which uncovers the impact of allyship on the experience of LGBTQ+ individuals in the workplace. FCB also contributed original market research to the State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index.
• Movement Advancement Project (MAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAP provides data tracking over 50 different LGBTQ-related laws and policies, powering the State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index with comprehensive legal and policy data.
• Williams InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law provides research and data support for the State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index. Out Leadership Founder Todd Sears serves on the board of Lambda Legal and The Williams Institute.
• Freedom to MarrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOut Leadership partnered with OPEN Finance and Freedom to Marry to file an amicus brief to the Supreme Court supporting marriage equality (Obergefell v. Hodges) in 2015, securing 379 company signatories including 33 Out Leadership members.
• OPEN FinancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOPEN Finance partnered with Out Leadership on marriage equality amicus briefs and co-authored Visibility Counts report. The organization mobilizes LGBT leaders throughout the financial services industry.
• Human Rights Campaign (HRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRC co-organized the Business Statement for Transgender Equality with Out Leadership in 2018, convening 56 major companies and 14 LGBTQ+ organizations as signatories.
• MicrosoftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMicrosoft partnered with Out Leadership and EY at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2016 for first-of-its-kind discussions around LGBTQ+ issues in business.
• EYcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEY partnered with Out Leadership and Microsoft at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2016. Also partnered on AllyUp with FCB. Global Vice Chair Beth Brooke-Marciniak serves on Out Leadership's Global Advisory Board.
• LGBTQ+ Non-profit Partners (11 official partners)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOut Leadership has 11 official partners in the LGBT+ and diversity and inclusion space, including Lambda Legal, National Center for Transgender Equality, GLAAD, GLSEN, and others. Additionally works with more than 20 supporting nonprofits and NGOs.
• Diverse Directors CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOut Leadership is a convener and long-standing member of the Diverse Directors Coalition which includes Black Corporate Directors, Latino Corporate Directors Association and Ascend Pinnacle, working together to ensure LGBTQ+ board diversity efforts are part of a broader push for diversity on Corporate Boards.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC): NGLCC is the business-to-business chamber providing certification, supplier diversity programming, and corporate matchmaking for LGBTQ+ enterprises, targeting the same Fortune 500 corporate buyers and supplier diversity budgets that Out Leadership serves.
• Out & Equal: Out & Equal is the other major US-based nonprofit dedicated exclusively to LGBTQ+ workplace equality, running summits, executive leadership programs, and corporate advisory that directly overlap with Out Leadership's membership, summit, and talent development offerings.
• OPEN Finance: OPEN Finance is an existing Out Leadership partner that mobilizes LGBTQ+ leaders in financial services through summits, research, and amicus briefs — competing for the same Wall Street engagement dollars and overlapping on the marriage equality and Visibility Counts research outputs.
• National Center for Transgender Equality: The National Center for Transgender Equality is one of Out Leadership's 11 official nonprofit partners and runs the US Transgender Survey and policy advocacy that underpins the corporate transgender engagement work that OutSPOKEN and the Trans Business Guide commercialize.

Others

• Lambda Legal: Lambda Legal is a major LGBTQ+ legal organization, an official Out Leadership nonprofit partner and board seat for founder Todd Sears; it provides litigation and amicus support that complements Out Leadership's business-facing programs but does not directly compete for corporate membership.
• GLAAD: GLAAD is a major LGBTQ+ media and cultural advocacy organization that occasionally partners with Out Leadership on corporate Equality initiatives but focuses on media representation rather than C-suite talent, board, or summits; an adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor.
• Movement Advancement Project (MAP): MAP is a current Out Leadership partner that powers the State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index with its policy tracking database; it is a research/data supplier to the Climate Index and an ecosystem enabler rather than a competitor for corporate membership revenue.

Broad incumbents

• Human Rights Campaign (HRC): HRC is the largest US LGBTQ+ civil rights organization and runs the Corporate Equality Index, which competes with Out Leadership's OL-iQ and Climate Index for corporate LGBTQ+ benchmarking mindshare; it serves a far broader advocacy mission beyond business but overlaps at the enterprise B2B segment.

Emerging players

• Out for Undergrad: Out for Undergrad is a 2019 Out Leadership strategic partner that targets LGBTQ+ undergraduate students, bridging the talent pipeline that Out Leadership's OutNEXT program ingests; it competes for early-career engagement and corporate sponsorship of emerging-leader programming.
• Reaching Out MBA (ROMBA): ROMBA is an LGBTQ+ MBA student and graduate conference that feeds the OutNEXT and OutQUORUM talent funnels; it is a smaller, more pipeline-narrow player that indirectly competes for corporate LGBTQ+ sponsorship dollars and emerging-leader mindshare.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/outleadership
• Facebookfacebook.com/OutLeadership
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/out-leadership

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Out Leadership