This metric is intended to capture if the organization was founded by a female or a majority group of females who retained an active role in the organization as of the end of the reporting period.
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If the organization had multiple founders, the organization should only consider itself female-founded if the majority of the founders were female and retained active roles.
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An active role can refer to a key position in the organization’s senior leadership team (C-suite or equivalent). It may also include acting in an advisory capacity for key decisions and does not necessarily require a full-time role at the organization.
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Example 1: A female entrepreneur founded the organization, and has since launched other projects and now only engages with the company every month for big meetings and strategic planning. As she is still key to the organization's strategic direction, this would still count as playing an active role.
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Example 2: A female founder started an organization but has since sold her majority stake to a male-dominated private equity firm. She stepped back as CEO, and is seen as an expert voice on key topics relevant to the company’s decision-making process. However, she engages irregularly, when she is requested by the Board rather than at set times, and her advice is sometimes disregarded when considering long-term strategic advice. This would not count as playing an active role.
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Example 3: An organization was legally registered in 2010 between two men and a woman. All three still have significant company roles. This would not count as a majority female-founded business.