HR Strategy Forum

What HR Strategy Forum does

HR Strategy Forum (HRSF) is a non-profit professional membership association founded in 1994, headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area with a primary venue in Oakland, CA. It serves Director-level and above strategic HR leaders at Bay Area organizations — concentrated in technology and life sciences — through a calendar of curated in-person and virtual programs, including Innovation Hours, Think & Talk sessions, Thought Leader Sessions, Networking Events, and a multi-part AI Collaboratory series plus an annual Summit. Membership is tiered at Individual ($300/year), Corporate ($1,500/year covering up to 6 members), and Plus Annual ($975/year, invitation-based), generating dues revenue alongside corporate sponsorship across Gold, Silver, and Bronze tiers and event registration fees.

The 2026 programming year is anchored to the theme "The People Strategy for Successful AI Implementation," centered on a year-long AI Collaboratory initiative that produces open-source resources (an AI Maturity Framework, glossary of AI terms, and curated readings) for the broader HR community. HRSF is a member of the North American HR Leadership Network (NAHRLN), an umbrella of 11 regional HR associations that grants members reciprocal event access. Knowledge partners include Adobe, Microsoft, Salesforce, Dolby Laboratories, Headspace, and Conviva; Northeastern University's Oakland campus serves as the primary in-person venue and academic anchor.

Technology infrastructure is limited to operational tooling: Wild Apricot powers membership management, event registration, and the member directory, while Zoom supports virtual event delivery. HRSF generates no proprietary AI/ML assets, APIs, or software products. The organization is governed by a volunteer board chaired by Dr. Shreya Sarkar (CEO of Human Capital Growth, the AI Collaboratory architect), and operates with a small staff of approximately 8 employees. Sponsorship revenue from named Gold sponsors (Marsh & McLennan, Epic Insurance Brokers, Money Management Educators) and Silver sponsors (Mariposa Leadership, Talkspace, Pierpoint, Heffelfinger Company) is a material revenue stream, with Human Capital Growth providing a Bronze-level content partnership.

Name

HR Strategy Forum

Legal name

HR Strategy Forum

Website

https://hrstrategyforum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

HR Strategy Forum is a non-profit Bay Area membership association serving Director-level and above strategic HR leaders through peer-learning events, the year-long AI Collaboratory program, and tiered memberships spanning individuals, corporations, and premium Plus access.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional HR Association

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAHAMAJ

Functional Summits (HR, Finance, IT, Marketing, Procurement, Legal)

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Corporate Meetings & Summits

Keywords

• HR leadership network
• Professional HR association
• HR peer learning
• Workforce transformation
• Executive HR events

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

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. Individual Membership: Individual membership at $300 annually provides access to events, member directory, networking opportunities, and discounted guest passes. Membership is valid from January to December.
2. Corporate Membership: Corporate membership at $1,500 annually covers up to 6 members from an organization, enabling team attendance at programs and the ability to rotate participants based on topic relevance.
3. Plus Annual Membership: Premium membership tier at $975 annually includes regular benefits plus quarterly HR Leadership Circle meetings held in-person across various geographies. Acceptance by invitation or application.
4. Event Registration Fees: Non-member event fees range from complimentary to $300 per event. AI Collaboratory events charge $300 for non-members while members attend free. Guest attendance rate is $99 for regular events.
5. Sponsorship Revenue: Corporate sponsorship provides complimentary registrations, logo visibility online and in print materials, access to member directory, and networking opportunities with strategic HR leaders. Sponsors receive exposure to Bay-area executive HR professionals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

HR Strategy Forum is a non-profit professional membership association that provides senior HR leaders in the San Francisco Bay Area with curated peer-to-peer learning, networking events, and thought leadership programming. Its core offerings include the AI Collaboratory year-long program on people-centered AI implementation, complemented by Innovation Hours, Think & Talk Sessions, Thought Leader Sessions, Networking Events, and an annual Summit. Membership tiers include Individual ($300/year), Corporate ($1,500/year for up to 6 members), and Plus Annual ($975/year) memberships.

Product overview

HR Strategy Forum (HRSF) is a professional membership organization for strategic HR leaders in the San Francisco Bay Area. The organization offers a portfolio of programs including the AI Collaboratory (a year-long collaborative learning experience on AI implementation), Innovation Hours, Think & Talk Sessions, Thought Leader Sessions, Networking Events, and an annual Summit. The 2026 theme focuses on "The People Strategy for Successful AI Implementation" with the AI Collaboratory as a signature offering. HRSF also provides resources including an AI Maturity Framework, curated readings, and a glossary of AI terms. Membership tiers include Individual ($300/year), Corporate ($1,500/year for up to 6 members), and Plus Annual membership with additional HR Leadership Circle meetings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AI Collaboratory: A year-long learning and working experience for HR leaders focused on AI adoption, exploring people considerations essential for responsible AI-enabled transformation.

Products and services

• Individual Membership
• Corporate Membership
• Plus Annual Membership
• AI Collaboratory
• Innovation Hours
• Think & Talk Sessions
• Thought Leader Sessions
• Networking Events
• Annual Summit: AI-Ready HR — Leading the People Transformation

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• North American HR Leadership Network (NAHRLN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRSF is a member of NAHRLN, an association of 11 HR Strategic Leadership associations across North America. This membership enables HRSF members to attend events from all participating regional associations, expanding networking and learning opportunities across the network.
• Northeastern UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNortheastern University's Oakland campus serves as the primary venue for in-person AI Collaboratory events. Faculty from Northeastern participate in HRSF programming, including Juneteenth networking events featuring faculty discussions on technology and societal equity.
• Marsh & McLennan CompaniesflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerGold-level sponsor bringing together nearly 75,000 experts in risk, strategy, and people across Marsh, Guy Carpenter, Mercer, and Oliver Wyman. Sponsors receive complimentary registrations, logo visibility, and networking access to HRSF members.
• Epic Insurance Brokers & ConsultantsflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerGold-level sponsor, a retail risk management and employee benefits insurance brokerage founded in San Francisco in 2007 with offices across the country.
• Money Management EducatorsflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerGold-level sponsor providing interactive financial wellness workshops for organizations since 1989.
• Mariposa LeadershipcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver-level sponsor offering executive coaching services to Bay Area companies since 1996, with programs for HR Business Partners and executive leadership development.
• The Heffelfinger CompanycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver-level sponsor focused on leadership development and coaching, working with organizations committed to developing talent and building strong teams.
• TalkspacecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver-level sponsor, a leading provider of virtual mental health care with over 5,000 licensed clinicians offering therapy, psychiatry, and self-guided support.
• PierpointcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver-level sponsor providing Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) and workforce solutions for mid-sized companies and large enterprises.
• Human Capital GrowthflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBronze-level sponsor founded by Dr. Shreya Sarkar, HRSF Board Chair. The firm provides evidence-based talent advisory services and is the architect of HRSF's AI Collaboratories, partnering on content development and program design.
• AdobeflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdobe participates in AI Collaboratory as a knowledge partner, with employees including Eddie Jerden (Senior People Analytics Business Partner) and Sasha Arjannikova (Director, People Analytics Business Partnering, Experience Committee Chair) serving as speakers, facilitators, and task force members.
• Dolby LaboratoriesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNick Fitzpatrick, Director of AI Solutions and Enablement at Dolby Laboratories, participates as speaker and facilitator in AI Collaboratory III, bringing insights on enterprise AI adoption from the CIO's office.
• MicrosoftflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCraig Ramsay, Principal People Scientist at Microsoft, serves as speaker and task force member for AI Collaboratory, contributing research on workplace experience in the age of AI.
• SalesforceflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeil Morelli, Ph.D., Senior Director of Human-AI Collaboration at Salesforce, participates as speaker for AI Collaboratory II, bringing expertise in work redesign and strategic capacity planning.
• ConvivacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLenietta (Nita) Hunter, Sr. Director, People & Culture at Conviva, participates as speaker in AI Collaboratory II.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCOHb99HeUFILvw6LvDNwKdQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hrsf-hr-strategy-forum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 HR Strategy Forum