The standard for
outstanding founders.
Five criteria, published in full. Every applicant is scored against the same bar by independent reviewers. Nothing about it can be bought.
- Version 1.0
- Published November 12, 2026
| Criterion | What clears the bar | Scale 1–5 |
|---|---|---|
| Durable results | Outcomes sustained and verifiable over years | |
| Leadership and culture | A team that grows people and keeps them | |
| Integrity and reputation | A clean record that references and public checks confirm | |
| Customer impact | Customers who stay, and say why | |
| Innovation and craft | Work others in the field learn from |
Five criteria. What meets the bar.
Each criterion is scored on its own, from the evidence verification has confirmed. A 3 meets the bar as it is written here.
| Criterion | The question | Meets the bar (3) | Evidence read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Durable results | Has the company built something that lasts, and has it held up through hard periods? | Several years of sustained operation with results that verification can confirm: revenue, reach or impact that has grown or held, not a single good quarter. | Financial statements or summaries shared in confidence, filings, verifiable public figures. |
| Leadership and culture | Do people want to work for this founder, and do they grow there? | References who worked for the founder describe fair, consistent leadership, and the team has kept and promoted good people. | Conversations with references, tenure and promotion patterns, how the founder describes hard decisions. |
| Integrity and reputation | Does the founder deal honestly with customers, staff, partners and investors? | A public record that holds up to a search, any past matter disclosed and explained, and no finding of dishonesty. | Public-record and press searches, litigation and regulatory records, what the founder disclosed. |
| Customer impact | Who relies on what the company makes, and what changed for them? | Customers who can be named or verified, who stay, and who say what the product changed for them. | Retention evidence, customer references, independent reviews. |
| Innovation and craft | Has the founder made something that others had not, and made it well? | A product or way of working that is original, carefully made, and respected by people who know the field. | The product itself, expert opinion, recognition in the field. |
The scale and the bar. Every number, stated.
At least 3 reviewers score independently, without seeing each other’s scores. Recused reviewers do not count.
- 1
- Not shown
- 2
- Below the bar
- 3
- Meets the bar
- 4
- Strong
- 5
- Exceptional
- Each criterion
- Averages 3.5 or more across the panel
- Overall
- Averages 4.0 or more across all five
- Integrity
- No reviewer scores it under 3. No average can make up for one who does.
- Editorial
- An editor’s review averaging 3.0 or more sends it to the panel
Five stages. Each one recorded.
An applicant sees each stage on their account as it happens. Nothing skips a stage.
- Stage 1 Application You apply, free, with your record, your company and your references. About an hour to write
- Stage 2 Verification We confirm who you are, your role, your company and the results you describe. We speak to your references and search the public record. Two to four weeks
- Stage 3 Editorial review An editor reads the whole file against the standard and decides whether it goes to the panel. About a week
- Stage 4 Panel review At least three reviewers score the application on each criterion, independently. Anyone with a tie to you steps aside. Two to three weeks
- Stage 5 Decision We write to you with the decision. Accepted founders are offered membership, and only then is any payment asked for. Within a week of the panel
The console applies the bar. Not a person’s mood.
The staff console will not accept an application whose scores fall short of these numbers, and it will not move one past verification while a check is open.
Panel review
| Criterion | Reviewer A | Reviewer B | Reviewer C | Average against the bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durable results | ||||
| Leadership and culture | ||||
| Integrity and reputation | ||||
| Customer impact | ||||
| Innovation and craft |
Every criterion averages 3.5 or more · overall 4.0 or more · no integrity score under 3
Identity
The applicant is who they say they are, confirmed on a video call against government ID.
Role
The applicant founded or runs the company, confirmed from company records.
Company
The company is registered, in good standing and has operated for at least the minimum period.
Claims
Each result the application relies on is supported by a document or a public source.
References
At least two references have been spoken to, at least one of whom worked for the applicant.
Public record
Litigation, regulatory and press searches are done, and anything found is weighed against what was disclosed.
Conflicts
No reviewer has a financial, family or working tie to the applicant, or any who do have stepped aside.
Waivers
A check can be waived only with a written reason, kept in the record.
Who can apply. And what cannot be bought.
- Role
- You founded or lead the company now, or did within the past 2 years.
- Company
- It has operated for at least 2 full years.
- Where
- Ceolumen accounts are open to people in the United States.
- One at a time
- One open application per person. Someone not accepted may apply again after 12 months.
- Recusal
- A reviewer with a financial, family or working tie to an applicant steps aside, and the recusal is recorded.
- Payment
- Applying is free. Membership is offered only after acceptance, and payment has no bearing on any decision, on any review, or on how long recognition lasts.
- Removal
- Recognition can be withdrawn if something material was not disclosed, or for conduct that would have failed the integrity criterion.
Ready to be read against it?
The application takes about an hour, and it is free.
Standard version 1.0, published November 12, 2026 · Changes are dated on this page