Club Ichi

What Club Ichi does

Club Ichi (legally The Community Factory LLC, founded 2019) is a paid membership community and social club serving B2B events industry professionals globally. The company sells access to a curated cross-segment network of event marketers, association conference directors, freelance producers, agencies, suppliers, hotel and venue teams, speakers, and event technology founders — explicitly positioning itself as the only membership club where all of these roles co-exist and solve problems together without transactional friction.

The product is delivered through a Circle-based community platform (event listings, templates, on-demand content, peer programs) and an actively moderated Slack workspace with 600+ professionals. Sub-products include peer group programs (Growth Club for solopreneurs, Buyer's Club for vendor selectors, The Greenroom for early career professionals), the Event Minds Matter micro-community for mental health in events, an annual retreat limited to 20 people, and The Engaged Attendee weekly newsletter with 11k subscribers. The underlying technology is entirely third-party (Circle + Slack) with no proprietary IP or AI components disclosed.

The revenue model is pure subscription recurring: $350/year or $33/month Insider membership, plus a free 90-day job seeker trial that converts to paid. Distribution is 100% self-serve DTC via ichi.circle.so checkout — no sales team, no resellers, no cohort limits. Marketing relies on word-of-mouth, founder reputation, the newsletter, and presence at industry events (IMEX, etc.). The company reports 700+ members across 15 countries, $1.3B in member buying power, and over $50M in business that has flowed through community relationships. Operationally it runs lean with 6 employees and no institutional funding, co-founded and run by Liz Lathan (content and programming) and Nicole Osibodu (relationships and industry access).

Name

Club Ichi

Legal name

The Community Factory LLC

Website

https://weareichi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Club Ichi is a paid membership community and social club for B2B events professionals, offering access to a 700+ member cross-segment network via Circle and Slack at $350/year or $33/month, co-founded by Liz Lathan and Nicole Osibodu.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Membership Community

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Membership Clubs (Category-Focused) (CRAEADAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Premium/Upmarket Membership Clubs (CRAEADAG)

Keywords

• Events industry community
• Professional membership club
• B2B events networking
• Peer group programs
• Event professional development

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Club Ichi generates revenue through annual and monthly membership subscriptions. The membership provides access to online community (Circle and Slack), weekly live gatherings, sales-free dinners and behind-the-scenes events, spontaneous think tanks, retreats, education library, PR opportunities, and the newsletter. The primary revenue stream is subscription-based with two tiers: annual ($350) and monthly ($33).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Club Ichi is a paid membership community and social club for B2B events professionals. Members gain access to a Circle-based resource hub, a Slack conversation space with 600+ events professionals, weekly live online gatherings, vendor-free Supper Club dinners, spontaneous think tanks, annual retreats, peer group programs (Growth Club, Buyer's Club, The Greenroom, Event Minds Matter), and The Engaged Attendee weekly newsletter. Membership is sold at $350/year or $33/month, with a free 90-day trial for job seekers.

Product overview

Club Ichi is a unified membership-based social club and professional community for people in the events industry. The core offering is the Insider Membership, which provides access to a Circle-based resource hub, Slack conversation space, weekly online gatherings, Supper Club dinners, spontaneous think tanks, and annual retreats. The platform also includes structured peer group programs—Growth Club for solopreneurs, Buyer's Club for vendor selectors, The Greenroom for early career professionals, and Event Minds Matter for mental health advocacy—all delivered through the Circle community platform and Slack async communication tools. The Engaged Attendee newsletter provides weekly editorial content. Membership is available at $350 annually or $33/month, with a free 90-day trial for job seekers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Event Minds Matter: A micro-community supported inside Club Ichi focused on mental health in the events industry. Led by Janice Cardinale, it provides content, conversation, and regular guest speakers and gatherings focused on mental health and psychological safety.

Products and services

• Club Ichi Insider Membership Primary paid membership offering providing access to the Club Ichi community including Circle-based resources and event listings, Slack conversation space with 600+ B2B events professionals, weekly live online gatherings, vendor-free Supper Club dinners and behind-the-scenes experiences, spontaneous think tanks, priority access to retreats and trips, Growth Club and Buyer's Club program access, education library, PR opportunities, and The Engaged Attendee newsletter. Priced at $350 annually or $33/month.
• Job Seeker Free Trial Free 90-day limited-access program for job seekers that includes Club Ichi Slack channel access, bi-weekly online job seeker gatherings, and candidate advocacy. After 90 days, converts into the $33/month Insider membership with full community access. No credit card required to start.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $50 million in business has flowed through Club Ichi relationships (not from pitching but from genuine community trust)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Event Minds MattercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvent Minds Matter, led by Janice Cardinale, is a micro-community supported inside Club Ichi focused on mental health in the events industry. Club Ichi provides the platform and support for content, conversation, regular guest speakers, and gatherings focused on psychological safety and emotional intelligence. This partnership addresses mental health challenges in the events industry through online courses and community support.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pavilion: Pavilion is a paid membership community for B2B sales, marketing, and RevOps leaders, offering peer learning, private Slack channels, and in-person events on a subscription model. It is the closest direct comparable to Club Ichi — same paid-membership-for-professionals-in-a-specific-vertical playbook, similar premium pricing, similar reliance on organic referral and founder-led community building.
• Lenny's Newsletter: Lenny's Newsletter is a paid subscription community for product managers built around a popular free newsletter, gated content, and an active member forum. Comparable to Club Ichi in its combination of an editorial newsletter (The Engaged Attendee) with a paid insider membership tier that unlocks deeper community, templates, and peer access.
• Chief: Chief is a private membership network for C-suite and senior executive women, with curated peer groups, events, and programming at premium pricing. Direct comparable to Club Ichi on the 'exclusive paid membership club for a defined professional cohort' axis, with similar emphasis on intimate dinners, behind-the-scenes access, and female-founded community positioning.

Broad incumbents

• PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association): PCMA is the leading global association for the business events industry, serving meeting professionals, suppliers, and destinations. Comparable to Club Ichi as the incumbent institution serving the same B2B events professional cohort, though PCMA operates as a traditional association with broader scope and Club Ichi positions itself as the modern alternative.
• MPI (Meeting Professionals International): MPI is the largest association for meeting and event professionals, offering membership, education, certification, and industry events. Broad incumbent to Club Ichi — both serve the same target buyer (corporate and association event professionals), but MPI is a traditional dues-based association while Club Ichi is a newer, community-led alternative.
• Skift: Skift is the largest media company in the travel and events industry, with research, newsletters, and Skift Meetings covering the B2B events space. Skift has directly covered Club Ichi as part of its coverage of the rise of alternative communities vs. industry associations, making it a comparable media/thought-leadership presence serving the same audience.

Others

• Mighty Networks: Mighty Networks is a software platform that enables creators and brands to launch paid membership communities with courses, content, and events. Comparable to Club Ichi as an enabling technology for the same business model Club Ichi operates in, though Mighty Networks is the platform layer while Club Ichi is a single customer of platforms like Circle and Slack.
• Circle: Circle is the community platform Club Ichi uses to power its member hub, and it also enables other paid membership communities with similar structures. Comparable as the underlying platform enabling Club Ichi's product, and as an adjacent business in the same 'paid community infrastructure' space.
• Geneva: Geneva is a group and community app used by organizations to run member-only spaces with chat, events, and resources. Comparable to the Slack + Circle stack Club Ichi uses, and a potential alternative or complement for community-led organizations in the same space.

Emerging players

• Industry Community (formerly GrowthHackers): Industry Community is a paid membership platform for niche professional communities, with industry-specific sub-communities and peer learning. Comparable to Club Ichi as an emerging player operating paid professional membership communities, though focused on marketing/growth verticals rather than events.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@clubichi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clubichi
• Instagraminstagram.com/weareichi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Club Ichi