# Best Communities & Networks for Searchers

Where searchers meet, online and in person.

Source: https://searchspheresource.com/resources/category/community
Last checked: 2026-09-20

## Every Entry in This Category

### Searchfunder

The main online community for searchers.

- Pricing model: Subscription
- What it costs: From the searchfunder.com homepage, verbatim tiers: Monthly $79/month; Annual $19/month (prepaid annually, ~$228/year); Lifetime $432 one-time. Unusual offsets, per the vendor's own FAQ: each post or comment earns at least 30 days of free access (bankable up to 12 months). Accounts maintained 4+ continuous years get permanent free access; referrals give both parties a permanent 33% discount, and 3 successful referrals earn indefinite free access. No dedicated /pricing page; pricing appears on the homepage, and registration is required before seeing member content.
- Best for: Anyone seriously exploring or actively running a search, especially self-funded searchers who want peer advice, investor/SBA-lender connections, and bundled IBISWorld + transaction-comps data for less than the cost of a single retail industry report. Not for buyers who just want a browsable listings marketplace or who won't engage with a forum.
- Website: https://www.searchfunder.com
- Full review: https://searchspheresource.com/resources/searchfunder

### Booth-Kellogg ETA Conference

The largest annual ETA conference.

- Pricing model: One-Time
- What it costs: Registration priced by attendee type, and the 2026 page (13th annual, October 30, 2026) posts the tiers: a student ticket at $125, a Booth and Kellogg alumni ticket at $150 and general admission at $200 (etaconference.com, September 2026).
- Best for: Anyone deciding between search paths who wants a year of conversations in one day: capital providers, current searchers, and operators all attend
- Website: https://www.etaconference.com/
- Full review: https://searchspheresource.com/resources/booth-kellogg-eta-conference

### Main Street Summit

A three-day gathering for owners and investors.

- Pricing model: One-Time
- What it costs: 2026 (September 15 to 17, Columbia, Missouri): Main Stage pass $250, Classic $1,500, All-In $6,000 (mainstreetsummit.com, August 2026). The $1,000 and $5,000 prices recorded in July are no longer offered, having risen on August 1 exactly as the site said they would, which is worth knowing a year out: this event prices early buyers lower and publishes the step in advance.
- Best for: Buyers who want operator conversations more than capital-raising ones, and new owners building a peer bench after closing
- Website: https://www.mainstreetsummit.com/
- Full review: https://searchspheresource.com/resources/main-street-summit

### SCORE

Free one-on-one mentoring from volunteers.

- Pricing model: Free
- What it costs: Mentoring is free with no cap on sessions, meetings run about an hour by phone, video, email or in person, and the reply usually comes inside two days. The national workshops are tagged free.
- Best for: A free sounding board with operating scars, especially valuable before the deal, when what you need is someone who has run a business asking you hard questions
- Website: https://www.score.org
- Full review: https://searchspheresource.com/resources/score-mentoring

### Search Fund Fellows

Hire search interns from a dedicated ETA job board.

- Pricing model: Free
- What it costs: Free for searchers to post roles and manage applicants; free for students to apply.
- Best for: Searchers who want sourcing and analysis leverage without payroll weight, and students who want into ETA before anyone tells them it exists
- Website: https://searchfundfellows.com
- Full review: https://searchspheresource.com/resources/search-fund-fellows

### SMBash

The annual summit for the acquisition community.

- Pricing model: One-Time
- What it costs: 2026 general admission ran $1,895 per ticket at the two-plus-ticket rate (smbash.com, July 2026); 2027 ticket tiers were not yet published at review time. Tickets include meals and session recordings, with refunds until 30 days before the event.
- Best for: Searchers far enough along to convert hallway conversations into lenders, investors, and diligence partners, which is where a four-figure ticket earns itself back
- Website: https://smbash.com
- Full review: https://searchspheresource.com/resources/smbash

### Women's Search Network

The community for women in search.

- Pricing model: Custom Pricing
- What it costs: Membership terms are not published; joining runs through the site's application (womenssearchnetwork.com, July 2026).
- Best for: Women at any point on the searcher arc who want peers and mentors who have run the same path, in a field where they remain sharply underrepresented
- Website: https://www.womenssearchnetwork.com
- Full review: https://searchspheresource.com/resources/womens-search-network

Site index for machines: https://searchspheresource.com/llms.txt