CEOCircle

CEOcircle is designed for veteran and military spouse CEOs, founders, and senior executives leading growth-stage businesses generating at least $1 million in annual revenue or raising $5 million or more in capital. Participants should be actively leading strategic business operations and seeking a trusted peer network of executives navigating similar stages of growth and complexity. 

CEOcircle is uniquely designed for veteran and military spouse business leaders scaling established companies. Unlike traditional networking groups, CEOcircle creates a curated executive environment where participants engage in candid peer discussions, strategic problem-solving, and high-level leadership conversations with others facing similar operational and growth-stage challenges.  

The program combines executive peer connection, immersive fly-in experiences, and access to nationally recognized business leaders and industry experts.  

CEOcircle is a year-long experience that includes monthly virtual executive huddles and four in-person fly-in forums hosted throughout the United States. Participants are expected to actively engage in both the virtual and in-person components of the program to maximize the value of the peer network and cohort experience. 

Fly-in forums are hosted in various large cities across the United States. Locations are selected to provide meaningful business, networking, and leadership engagement opportunities for participants throughout the year. 

Participants are placed into smaller peer groups typically consisting of 10-12 executives with similar business maturity, operational complexity, and growth-stage experiences. Each annual CEOcircle cohort generally includes 6-8 peer groups. 

There is no fee to participate in CEOcircle. However, participants are responsible for their own travel and lodging expenses associated with the fly-in forums. Hotels close to the venue are suggested for each event, and meals and refreshments during programming are included. 

CEOcircle participants represent a wide range of industries, including technology, professional services, manufacturing, construction, healthcare, logistics, government contracting, consumer products, and more. The diversity of industries creates opportunities for both specialized insight and cross-sector collaboration. 

Applications are reviewed based on company growth stage, revenue or capital metrics, leadership role, growth potential, and overall alignment with the executive peer cohort experience. The selection process is designed to ensure participants are surrounded by peers operating at similar levels of business scale, leadership responsibility, and organizational complexity. 

No. CEOcircle is not a funding or investment program. The program is designed to strengthen leadership capacity, strategic decision-making, peer connection, and long-term business growth. While participants may build valuable relationships through the network, IVMF does not provide direct investment capital. 

Yes. CEOcircle is designed exclusively for veteran and military spouse business leaders.

Yes. We encourage eligible entrepreneurs and executives to reapply as their businesses continue to grow and evolve. Many successful applicants apply at a different stage of business maturity, revenue growth, or operational scale than when they first explored the program.  

If you were rejected because of revenue requirements, EBV-A or Veteran EDGE might be a better fit. 

Fly-in forums combine executive-level programming, curated networking opportunities, facilitated peer discussions, leadership development, and conversations with nationally recognized business leaders and industry experts. Participants often describe the forums as one of the most valuable aspects of the CEOcircle experience because of the trust, candor, and strategic relationships built in person. 

Strong candidates are experienced leaders committed to growth, peer collaboration, and long-term business development. Successful participants are typically navigating challenges related to scaling operations, managing teams, expanding markets, raising capital, or strengthening executive leadership capacity. 

CEOcircle is specifically designed for established, growth-stage companies navigating operational scale, leadership complexity, and long-term business growth. Entrepreneurs who are still launching or validating a business idea may be better aligned with other IVMF entrepreneurship programs. 

IVMF offers a range of programs designed to serve entrepreneurs and business owners at specific points of the entrepreneurial journey. The needs of an entrepreneur with an idea or a brand-new startup are very different from that of an entrepreneur who is, for example, overseeing expansions of their product into new geographic markets. Offering targeted programming helps us keep each program relevant and effective for the entrepreneurs and business owners who participate.