You don't need permission.
You need a seat at the table.
Every Hive colony started the same way: one person decided their city deserved a room like this, and built it. Carmel. Fishers. Muncie. Each one exists because someone applied first. Yours can be next.
Build the room
you wish existed.
You're not joining a room, you're building one. As colony president, you set the tone, choose the energy, and lead the first group of members who will define your city's Hive.
The one-seat-per-industry structure, the meeting cadence, the vetting process, the Hive app, it's all built. You're not inventing a networking group from scratch. You're bringing one that already works.
Members get the Hive name, the playbook, and a network that extends beyond your city. You get a say in who's in the room and how it runs day to day.
Colony presidents aren't just organizers. They're leadership across Hive, with visibility to founders, other colony presidents, and the members building their businesses because of the room you built.
From application
to launch day.
Starting a colony is a partnership. You bring the city and the leadership. Hive brings the model, the standards, and the support to get it off the ground.
Tell us about your city, your business, and why you're the right person to lead a Hive colony there.
We look at the market with you, population of entrepreneurs and professionals, existing networking options, and whether the city can support a room worth protecting.
You recruit the first members, one seat per industry, with Hive leadership supporting recruitment, vetting, and standards from day one.
Your colony goes live on the Hive app and the directory, your first meeting is scheduled, and you're running it, with the national team behind you.
Targeting the
Midwest. And beyond.
Hive is actively looking for founding colony presidents across the Midwest, cities with a real base of young professionals and business owners who are tired of networking groups that don't protect the room.
Not seeing your city? That's fine. We're looking at the Midwest first, but a great founder makes the case for their own market, really anywhere.
Before you apply.
What makes a good city for a new Hive colony?
A real base of young professionals and business owners, a gap in the local networking scene, and at least one person ready to lead. We care more about the person than the population number, but both matter.
Do I need prior networking or events experience to start a colony?
No. Most colony presidents have never run a networking group before. What you need is credibility in your market, a network to draw from, and the drive to recruit and protect a founding room.
What does it cost to start a Hive colony?
It depends on your market. We'll walk through the specifics, costs, membership economics, and what Hive provides, once your application moves to a conversation with leadership.
How long does it take to launch a new colony?
After your city is approved, most colonies launch within a few months, built around recruiting a strong founding room rather than hitting a deadline.
Is Hive only expanding in the Midwest?
The Midwest is our current focus, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, and the cities around them. But if you can make the case for your city, wherever it is, we want to hear it.
What's the difference between starting a colony and applying for membership?
Applying for membership gets you a seat in an existing colony, like Carmel or Fishers. Starting a colony means you're building and leading a brand-new room in a city Hive hasn't reached yet. If you want a seat, see Membership. If you want to build the room, that's this page.
