# Founding Member

> A Founding Member is an early backer of GenetixBay who joins before launch, getting first access, a permanent badge and among the lowest numbers in the archive.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/founding-member.html
- Also written: Founding Members, founding membership, founding cohort, Founding Member badge
- Glossary category: GenetixBay terms
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

Founding Members are GenetixBay's first supporters: people who buy a founding membership before the public launch. Their money funds the first phase of the project alongside hardware deposits.

## In practice

Founding Members get first access to the community, the archive and the journal, then early access to the Jardin beta and closed beta features. They carry a permanent Founding Member badge and receive some of the lowest member numbers in the archive, a small thing that matters in a community that values history. Backer tiers grant earlier access, never a higher evidence level or special standing in trials. Founding Breeders, a parallel programme for breeders, get founding terms for their storefronts and verification.

## Don't confuse with

- **Member / Pro tiers**: regular paid memberships after launch.
- **Investor**: Founding Members buy a membership, not a share of the company.

## Related terms

[Pearls](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/pearls.md), [GB-ID](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/gb-id.md), [Jardin](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/jardin.md), [Bay Trials](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/bay-trials.md)