CDO PowerCircle

What CDO PowerCircle does

CDO PowerCircle is a membership-based community and AI-enabled platform serving enterprise Chief Diversity Officers and inclusion leaders. Founded in 2019 and operated under Joseph Santana, LLC, the company bundles proprietary research, coaching, workshops, and an annual Summit into an annual membership, positioning inclusion as a business-performance lever rather than a compliance activity. The core product surface consists of four AI-powered tools: DAVE (DEI Advisor & Virtual Expert), a generative-AI virtual assistant for DEI and ERG/BRG leaders; the Inclusion Business Alignment Assessment, an AI-generated scoring and recommendation engine; the Impact ROI Calculator, a predictive analytics tool that converts inclusion outcomes into financial ROI; and the Business Inclusion Impact Analyzer, which assembles public company data into editable inclusion-impact reports. Together these tools are designed to translate DEI activity into the financial language CFOs and CEOs respond to.

The business model is recurring-subscription driven. DAVE is sold as a self-serve annual subscription at $2,495 per year following a $10 first-day trial, and the broader CDO PowerCircle membership is sold as a separate annual subscription that includes research reports, coaching, workshops, focus groups, ERG PowerTalk sessions, and Summit seats. A DAVE Affiliate Program adds a commission-based reseller layer, while a trio of free AI-powered assessments functions as a product-led growth funnel for membership conversion. Go-to-market blends community-led engagement (Summit, peer network), content and earned media (Forbes and Fast Company contributions by Board Chair Joseph Santana), and direct self-serve online sales.

The company is small (1-10 employees), bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding, privately held under a single-member LLC, and serves a global but US-centric customer base of senior inclusion executives, DEI/ERG/BRG professionals, and — via DAVE — a broader long tail of part-time and emerging inclusion leaders. A 2026 joint summit with Froedtert ThedaCare Health indicates targeted vertical expansion into healthcare, the company's most significant disclosed enterprise partnership to date.

Name

CDO PowerCircle

Legal name

Joseph Santana, LLC

Website

https://cdopowercircle.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CDO PowerCircle is a membership community and AI-powered platform that helps enterprise Chief Diversity Officers and inclusion leaders quantify and articulate the financial ROI of DEI initiatives through proprietary tools, research, coaching, and peer networking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

DEI Software and Services

NAICS

Business Associations (81391), Professional Organizations (81392), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Remote/Hybrid Leadership & Distributed Team Management (EDABAAAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• DEI membership community
• Diversity inclusion consulting
• AI-powered DEI tools
• Inclusion ROI analytics
• Enterprise inclusion strategy

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. DAVE AI Agent Subscription: Annual subscription for AI-powered DEI virtual assistant access at $2,495/year, with a $10 first-day trial. The DAVE product provides ongoing value through AI-powered guidance for DEI strategy, presentations, and executive meeting preparation.
2. CDO PowerCircle Membership: Annual membership providing access to peer community, strategic tools, coaching, research reports, ERG PowerTalk sessions, and annual summit seats. Designed for enterprise inclusion leaders seeking to prove ROI and secure executive investment.
3. Affiliate Program: Commission-based revenue sharing with affiliates who promote and sell DAVE AI Agent subscriptions to their clients. Commissions paid monthly with minimum 37-day active account requirement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CDO PowerCircle operates a paid membership community for enterprise Chief Diversity Officers and senior inclusion leaders, anchored by DAVE—an AI-powered virtual assistant for DEI/ERG professionals. Members access 60–100-page annual research reports, AI-driven assessment/analysis tools, ROI calculators, coaching, workshops, focus groups, ERG PowerTalk sessions, and an annual hybrid Summit, all designed to translate inclusion initiatives into measurable business ROI.

Product overview

CDO PowerCircle operates as a membership-based business growth accelerator for enterprise inclusion leaders, built around a platform of proprietary AI-powered tools and professional services. The core offering combines DAVE (DEI Advisor & Virtual Expert), an AI-powered virtual assistant, with a suite of strategic tools including the Inclusion Business Alignment Assessment, Business Inclusion Impact Analyzer, and Impact ROI Calculator — all designed to translate inclusion efforts into measurable business ROI. These tools are complemented by membership services such as annual research reports (60–100 pages), KPI-aligned business planning, execution support (workshops, coaching, focus groups), Accomplishment Reports, ERG PowerTalk sessions, Sharpening the Axe manager development programs, and the annual CDO PowerCircle Summit. The Opportunity Audit serves as a paid add-on diagnostic. A separate DAVE Affiliate Program enables partners to resell DAVE subscriptions for commission. The overall architecture is a platform-plus-modules model: the AI tools serve as the intelligence layer, while professional services and peer programs provide execution depth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DAVE (DEI Advisor & Virtual Expert) AI-powered virtual assistant for DEI professionals and ERG/BRG community leaders that delivers best practices, presentation preparation, strategy development, and meeting-readiness support; available standalone as an annual subscription.
• CDO PowerCircle Membership Annual membership program for enterprise inclusion leaders (CDOs) that provides data-backed strategy tools, ROI-driven peer networks, 60–100-page annual research reports, KPI-aligned business planning, execution support (workshops, coaching, focus groups), Accomplishment Report generation, manager development programs, ERG PowerTalk sessions, and annual summit access.
• Inclusion Business Alignment Assessment ~15-minute AI-powered assessment tool that scores how aligned inclusion efforts are with organizational mission and business performance, flags areas at risk of budget cuts, and outputs a personalized alignment report.
• Business Inclusion Impact Analyzer ~10-minute market analysis tool that pulls public data on companies and competitors — including financials, Glassdoor data, and competitor benchmarks — to surface where inclusion can drive measurable business impact, and outputs an editable inclusion impact report.
• Impact ROI Calculator Calculator that converts inclusion outcomes into economic value and computes ROI using the formula ROI = (Value Created − Cost of Effort) ÷ Cost of Effort × 100%, serving for-profit, nonprofit, and community service organizations.
• Annual CDO PowerCircle Summit Annual hybrid event convening accomplished Chief Diversity Officers, top DEI thought leaders, and industry professionals for strategic collaboration, long-term strategy development, and high-level coaching; bundled with membership.
• Opportunity Audit Paid add-on diagnostic that identifies hidden exclusion costs specific to a business and pinpoints where inclusive strategies can generate measurable ROI, exposing the 'exclusion tax' to inform strategic prioritization.
• DAVE Affiliate Program Commission-based revenue-sharing program that allows approved affiliates to promote and resell DAVE AI Agent subscriptions to their clients, with monthly commissions and tracking via an affiliate dashboard.

Quantifiable outcome

• $1.26M total return over three years from a single $5,000 festival sponsorship action (92X ROI)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Froedtert ThedaCare HealthminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Joint summit partnership with Froedtert ThedaCare Health for a two-day summit on May 13-14 focused on helping inclusion leaders demonstrate measurable business impact through revenue growth, cost reduction, and market expansion. The event includes a facility tour led by Andres Gonzalez, Vice President and Chief Belonging and Community Engagement Officer. This positioning partners positions inclusion as a performance lever rather than a compliance activity.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CDO Club: Long-running membership community specifically for Chief Diversity Officers. Closest comparable by buyer persona (CDOs), membership model, and peer networking focus, though without the AI tool suite.
• Seramount: DEI advisory and membership platform serving enterprise inclusion leaders with benchmarking, research, and events. Comparable by customer segment and the combination of community plus DEI insights delivery.
• DiversityInc: DEI benchmarking media and membership organization targeting enterprise DEI leaders. Comparable by audience and the blend of benchmarking data, content, and member services.
• The Forum on Workplace Inclusion: Annual conference and year-round community for DEI practitioners. Comparable by audience (DEI leaders), annual Summit analog, and member-driven programming.

Broad incumbents

• SHRM: Largest US HR professional membership organization with DEI content tracks. Comparable as a much larger incumbent membership model serving HR/inclusion leaders with research, events, and credentials.

Emerging players

• Pillar: ERG management and impact measurement platform. Comparable by overlap with CDO PowerCircle's ERG PowerTalk offerings and its ROI framing of employee resource groups.
• Paradigm Strategy: DEI consulting firm providing strategy, training, and measurement for enterprise inclusion programs. Comparable by buyer persona and by emphasis on measurable inclusion outcomes.
• Textio: AI-powered platform focused on inclusive language in recruiting and performance content. Comparable by use of generative AI to advance DEI outcomes and by enterprise HR buyer overlap.
• Quantum Inclusion: DEI advisory firm offering training, audits, and strategy services to enterprise clients. Comparable by serving enterprise inclusion leaders with bespoke research and coaching deliverables.
• Kanarys: DEI analytics and benchmarking platform serving enterprise DEI leaders. Comparable by selling DEI data and ROI tools into the same CDO buyer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-cdo-powercircle

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 CDO PowerCircle