Consortium of Information Systems Executives (CISE)

What Consortium of Information Systems Executives (CISE) does

CISE (Consortium of Information Systems Executives) is a non-profit professional membership organization founded in 2004 to serve Chief Information Officers in the San Francisco Bay Area. It operates three interconnected peer-community programs: CISE itself (the original CIO peer group, 2004), the CIO Development Program (CDP, 2006) for aspiring CIOs, and the Leadership Development Program (LDP, 2019) for IT Managers, Senior Managers, Directors, and Program Managers. The core product is the curated peer community itself — there is no proprietary technology platform. Programming is centered on monthly in-person meetings hosted at member-sponsored Bay Area offices, facilitated by a UC Berkeley MBA professor specializing in leadership/technology, with dinners and networking following each session. Recurring events include the annual CIO Marathon (a fundraising and vendor-pitch session for the CISE Education Fund) and an annual holiday event.

The business model is subscription-recurring membership dues across the three tiers; pricing is not publicly disclosed and prospective members are routed to group administrators via the [email protected] email and a website contact form. GTM is community-led: word-of-mouth referrals, LinkedIn presence, and the events themselves drive acquisition, with no traditional sales funnel. Customer segments are persona-based and horizontal — sitting CIOs in CISE, emerging CIOs in CDP, and IT leaders below the CIO level in LDP — with no disclosed industry concentration.

The organization is independent and member-driven, with ~35 personnel, no disclosed parent entity, no outside investors, and no public listing. CISE supplements its member programming with philanthropic activity — over $1 million raised for charities since 2004, endowments at Bay Area colleges, and the 2013 Merritt College cybersecurity associate-degree partnership (first class graduated June 2016) — funded by book proceeds, event revenue, and member contributions. All activity is geographically confined to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Name

Consortium of Information Systems Executives (CISE)

Legal name

Consortium of Information Systems Executives (CISE)

Website

https://cise-cdp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CISE is a non-profit Bay Area membership organization, founded in 2004, that runs three peer-community tiers (CISE, CDP, LDP) serving roughly 35 personnel-led programs for sitting CIOs, aspiring CIOs, and IT managers and directors through monthly facilitated meetings and recurring events, funded by membership dues and philanthropic contributions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Membership Organization

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• IT executive networking
• Professional membership organization
• CIO peer group
• IT leadership development
• Peer community association

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco Bay Area

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: CISE generates revenue through annual membership fees from member organizations and individual members across its three programs (CISE, CDP, LDP). The membership provides access to monthly meetings, networking events, peer support, and professional development resources.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CISE operates a three-tier professional membership community for IT executives in the San Francisco Bay Area, encompassing the CISE peer group for experienced CIOs, the CIO Development Program (CDP) for aspiring CIOs, and the Leadership Development Program (LDP) for IT Managers and Directors. The core service consists of monthly peer meetings facilitated by a UC Berkeley MBA professor, with members gaining access to networking, mentorship, and professional development on IT trends and challenges, supplemented by an annual CIO Marathon and annual holiday event.

Product overview

CISE is a professional membership organization offering three interconnected peer-based programs for IT leaders at different career stages. CISE (Community of Information Systems Executives) serves as the core group for experienced Bay Area CIOs founded in 2004. The CIO Development Program (CDP), established in 2006, supports emerging CIOs through CISE mentoring. The Leadership Development Program (LDP), launched in 2019, serves IT Managers, Directors, and Senior Managers. All three programs feature monthly meetings as their centerpiece, with members collaborating on IT trends, technologies, and professional growth topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CIO Development Program (CDP): Extension of CISE created in 2006 to help 'up and coming CIOs' collaborate and network. CISE serves as mentors to CDP members assisting them in developing skills required to move into CIO roles.
• Leadership Development Program (LDP)

Products and services

• CISE - Community of Information Systems Executives The original peer group for Bay Area Chief Information Officers, providing monthly networking meetings, peer support, expert guest speakers, mentorship, and professional development opportunities for experienced IT executives. Membership provides access to a trusted network for discussing technology challenges and best practices.
• CDP - CIO Development Program A membership program designed to help up-and-coming CIOs develop skills, collaborate, and network with peers. Members benefit from mentoring by CISE members and participation in monthly meetings, with the goal of building the next generation of exceptional IT leaders. Several CDP members have advanced to CIO roles since the program's inception.
• LDP - Leadership Development Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1 million raised for charities and educational endowments
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Merritt Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013CISE partnered with Merritt Community College in 2013 to develop a fully accredited associate of science degree in Information Security. Merritt College serves the Oakland school district including students from less advantaged backgrounds. CISE worked with over 50 information security thought leaders to design and deliver the course based on industry best practices. The first class graduated in June 2016, and CISE continues working with Bay Area companies to find full-time positions for graduates.
• Bay Area CollegescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCISE has established endowments with many Bay Area colleges to assist underprivileged students pursue technology degrees. The organization has raised over $1 million for charities and educational causes through various fundraising efforts.
• CISE Education FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA supporting fund established by CISE to assist underprivileged students pursue technology education. The fund is associated with the Merritt College Cybersecurity Program and enables companies to contribute to developing the next generation of IT talent.
• UC BerkeleyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMeetings are facilitated by a UC Berkeley MBA professor specializing in leadership/technology. This academic partnership provides expert facilitation and research-backed perspectives for monthly discussion topics.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• ISACA: Global professional association for IT governance, security, risk, and audit professionals with chapters, certifications, and member programming — overlapping with CISE on IT leadership networking but with a global scope.
• HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society): Large global membership association for health informatics and IT professionals offering conferences, peer networking, and education — comparable in operating model but serving a different vertical at much larger scale.
• ISSA (Information Systems Security Association): International professional association of information security professionals with local chapters, monthly meetings, and educational programming — similar to CISE's model but focused on the security sub-discipline.

Direct peers

• CoreNet Global: Membership association for corporate real estate executives with chapter-based monthly peer meetings, leadership development, and educational programming — an analogous peer-community model applied to a different executive function.
• i4cp (Institute for Corporate Productivity): Peer-driven network for HR and business leaders offering member communities, research, and events — directly comparable peer-network and member-development business model applied to a different executive function.
• Evanta (a Gartner Company): Operates CIO and CISO peer communities and executive gatherings across North America with a similar membership-meeting model, but funded by enterprise sponsorship rather than individual dues.
• Technology Executives Club: Regional networking organization for senior technology leaders and CIOs hosting regular peer events and educational programming — directly comparable membership model, though serving different regional markets.
• Society for Information Management (SIM): National professional association for IT executives and CIOs offering local chapter programming, peer networking, and leadership development — the most direct structural analog to CISE, but operating nationally rather than regionally.
• CHIME (College of Healthcare Information Management Executives): Membership organization for healthcare CIOs and senior IT leaders providing peer networking, education, and professional development — a vertical-specific peer association operating with similar structure to CISE.

Emerging players

• Institute for CIO Excellence: Smaller professional development organization focused on advancing CIO leadership capabilities through peer learning and education — comparable mission and audience but with narrower programming footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cisecdp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Consortium of Information Systems Executives (CISE)