noun

founder

FOUND-er/ˈfaʊndər/

A person who establishes an organization, institution, or settlement.

The cooperative's founder unlocks the new studio for her colleagues.

An older woman who founded a small pottery cooperative proudly unlocks its new studio entrance with a large plain key as two adult colleagues greet her warmly; she is the clear central organizing person, unmarked pottery shelves and wheels visible inside.

Etymology

The pieces identify a founder as someone who lays a foundation. In the institutional sense, this is the person who establishes an organization, giving it its initial basis rather than a literal building foundation.

In context

NBC News3:46

Elizabeth Holmes the founder of blood testing startup theranos was once worth four and a half billion dollars and celebrated as a woman who could own the future you founded this company 12 years ago

How con artists win over trust: ‘You get to create a reality for other people to live in’

More examples

Several founders remained on the board.
The founder explained her original plan.
He interviewed the museum's founder.

Forms

founder · founders

Similar words

originator: Can create an idea without establishing an organization.
organizer: Arranges activities without necessarily founding the institution.