The Club With a 60,000 WOMAN Waitlist

A $1.1 billion startup  is creating support groups for women in the workplace. Only executives need apply

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When Ashley Cordova was promoted to chief financial officer of the cancer treatment company Novocure Ltd., she was the only C-level executive there who was a woman.

The experience was lonely. Her male colleagues were supportive, but they had different experiences and challenges at work. And few of her closest female friends could relate to the stresses of running the finance department of an $8 billion oncology corporation.

Now, Cordova meets every month with a group of about 10 women who have similar roles across different industries and can discuss common problems and management strategies. The meetings, which run for about 90 minutes, are facilitated by a startup called Chief—a kind of private club for female executives. “I was looking for a group of colleagues, women I could trust,” says Cordova, who became a member two years ago. “What I really needed was a group of peers.”

Launched in 2019, Chief has about 20,000 members and a waitlist that’s 60,000 names long. The startup became a unicorn in March, when its valuation reached $1.1  billion. It’s attracted prominent investors such as General Catalyst and CapitalG and hosts speaking events featuring leaders like Martha Stewart, Amal Clooney and Diane von Furstenberg.