What it means to be a founding member

The moment you finish the waitlist survey, EthioBazaar gives you a founder number. It is assigned by our database in the order people join, it is permanent, and nothing moves it afterwards: not a referral, not an edit, not a later sign-up. Member number 1 stays number 1.

We built it this way because the founding community is the most valuable thing EthioBazaar has right now, and we wanted a form of recognition that cannot be gamed or bought.

Founder tiers

Your number decides your tier:

Founder number	Tier
1 to 100	Premium Founder
101 to 500	Gold Founder
501 to 1,000	Silver Founder
1,001 to 5,000	Bronze Founder
5,001 to 10,000	Early Founder
10,001 to 25,000	Early Member
25,001 to 50,000	Community Member
after 50,000	Standard Member

The tier appears on your founder card at the end of the survey and, for businesses that opt in, on the public Founders wall.

Recognition, not verification

A founder badge recognises when you joined. It is not a verification of a business, it does not mean EthioBazaar has visited or endorsed anyone, and it is not a rating. We will never add "verified", "trusted" or "top rated" badges to the waitlist, because nothing on the waitlist has been verified yet.

The Founders wall

Businesses choose, during the survey, whether they want to appear on the public Founders wall. If you say yes, the wall shows your business name, city and country, business type, founder number and, if you uploaded one, your logo. Contact details are never shown, and individuals are never listed. You can change your choice at any time by writing to waitlist@ethiobazaar.com.

What founding businesses can expect

We want businesses to feel that they are helping create EthioBazaar, because they are. Founding businesses shape categories, features and city priorities, and they can potentially receive:

• early access
• Founding Partner recognition
• priority visibility
• early promotional opportunities
• direct product feedback opportunities
• early marketplace tools

Just as important is what we do not promise: permanent discounts, guaranteed customers or guaranteed revenue. The marketplace is still being researched, and we would rather say "priority consideration" today than break a promise later.

Your referral link

Every member gets a personal referral link on the confirmation screen. Sharing it helps the community grow in your city, which is exactly the signal we are looking for when we decide where to launch first. Referrals never change anyone's founder number.

Your data and your content

Survey answers are used for research and to shape the marketplace; they are never sold. Menus, catalogs, recipes, photos and videos you share remain yours, and any commercial publication of creative content needs a separate written agreement. The privacy policy and waitlist terms spell this out.

If you run an Ethiopian business anywhere in the world, apply as a founding business. If you are a customer, join the waitlist and tell us what you are looking for in your city.