GEN
GEN (Gender Equity Now) is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that administers the first standardized certification for intersectional gender equity in U.S. workplaces, assessing organizations across 200+ indicators through survey-based methodology and offering consulting, workshops, and a regional workplace equity index.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What GEN does
GEN (Gender Equity Now) is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2017 that operates the first standardized certification program for intersectional gender equity in U.S. workplaces. The organization administers the GEN Certification, which evaluates employers against more than 200 indicators spanning employee experience and process fairness across gender, race, age, caretaker status, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, neurodivergence, and disability status. Certification requires a minimum of 70% employee survey participation and completion of a processes questionnaire, with a three-year certification term and re-certification at roughly 45% of the original fee.
The product portfolio comprises four interconnected offerings: the GEN Certification (the credentialing flagship), the GenderSmart Assessments & Consulting practice (a four-stage Discovery → Analysis & Action Plan → Redesign → Impact & Evaluation engagement), GEN-Smart Workshops (behavioral skills coaching on sponsorship, negotiation, unconscious bias, and inclusive meetings), and the GEN Index (a regional ranking of equitable workplaces published in partnership with American City Business Journals). Methodology was co-developed with the University of Washington Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, and the assessment framework is supported by UW Evans School Consulting Lab staff. Technology is non-proprietary in the traditional sense — the underlying engine is a survey-based data collection and analysis methodology rather than a software platform.
GEN's revenue model blends multi-year certification fees (priced per total employee count, with a dedicated tier for organizations under 50 employees), professional services revenue from assessments/consulting and workshops, and tax-deductible donations supporting the certification's evidence base. Go-to-market is sales-led: organizations initiate engagement via the website (thinkgen.org), supplemented by a channel partnership with ACBJ/Puget Sound Business Journal that drives awareness through the GEN Index rankings. Marketing relies heavily on earned media and thought leadership from Executive Director Sara Sanford (TED, TEDx, NYT, podcasts). Headcount is approximately 11, including the executive director, two program managers, two UW Evans School student consultants, and an advisory board drawn from academia, nonprofit leadership, and technology (Amazon, Microsoft, T-Mobile, Polyverse).
GEN firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- GEN
- Legal name
- Gender Equity Now
- Website
- https://thinkgen.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- GEN (Gender Equity Now) is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that administers the first standardized certification for intersectional gender equity in U.S. workplaces, assessing organizations across 200+ indicators through survey-based methodology and offering consulting, workshops, and a regional workplace equity index.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
GEN industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Workplace Equity Certification and Consulting
- NAICS
- All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)
- akta.pro primary industry
- DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) & Belonging Consulting (BPAHAGAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- DEI, Equity & Inclusion Advisory (BPACAJAJ), DEI, Equity & Inclusion Training (EDABAIAF), Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF), Gender Equality & Women’s Rights (BPADAGAF)
Keywords
Where GEN is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
GEN business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- GEN Certification: Certification fees for organizations seeking the GEN Certification. Certification lasts for three years with re-certification at approximately 45% the cost of original certification fee. Assessment fee depends on total number of employees in the organization.
- Assessments & Consulting: Diagnostic assessments and consulting services providing action plans for organizations at any stage of gender equity maturity. Includes discovery, analysis, redesign, and impact evaluation stages.
- Workshops: Workshop packages offered to organizations for transforming workplace culture. Topics include sponsorship, leadership development, unconscious bias training, and inclusive meeting practices.
- Donations: GEN is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization #32-0549245. Donations support keeping the certification evidence-backed and measurement-driven.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Small Business Certification (under 50 employees) |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Standard Certification |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
GEN product offering
Product offeringCore offering
GEN (Gender Equity Now) is a U.S.-based nonprofit that issues the GEN Certification, a national gold-standard certification for intersectional gender equity in the workplace, evaluating organizations across 200-plus indicators. It complements the certification with diagnostic assessments, design-based consulting (GenderSmart), and workshops focused on transforming workplace culture and debiasing processes.
Product overview
GEN (Gender Equity Now) offers a suite of interconnected products focused on workplace gender equity. The core offerings include the GEN Certification (the gold standard certification for intersectional gender equity), the GEN Index (regional workplace rankings), Assessments & Consulting (diagnostic and action planning services), and GEN-Smart Workshops (behavioral skills training). These products work together to help organizations move beyond diversity to equity and inclusion, with the certification serving as the primary credentialing product while consulting and workshops provide supporting services for organizations at various stages of equity maturity.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- GEN Certification: The gold standard certification for intersectional gender equity in the U.S. workplace, assessing organizations across 200-plus indicators.
- GenderSmart
- GEN Index
Products and services
- GEN Certification The national gold standard certification for intersectional gender equity in the U.S. workplace. Assesses organizations across 200-plus indicators intersecting gender, race, age, and caretaker status. Certified businesses meet standards of excellence across five tenets of workplace culture, with a three-year certification period and re-certification available.
- Assessments and Consulting Diagnostic assessments and design-based consulting services that debias workplace processes. Uses the GenderSmart consulting framework to measure opportunity gaps intersecting with race, age, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, neurodivergence, and disability status across four stages: Discovery, Analysis and Action Plan, Redesign, and Impact and Evaluation.
- Workshops GEN-Smart workshops combining skills coaching with current research on unconscious bias. Topics include sponsorship, negotiation, mentorship, leadership development, and bias reduction, with actionable takeaways for immediate workplace application.
- GEN Index A regional ranking of equity-centered workplaces created in partnership with American City Business Journals. Measures workplace equity and publishes 'Most Equitable Workplaces' lists for participating metropolitan areas.
Quantifiable outcome
- Organizations that increase equity increase returns
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use GEN
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
GEN technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
GEN partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- American City Business Journals / Puget Sound Business JournalcoreGEN partnered with American City Business Journals to create the GEN Index, a regional ranking of equity-centered workplaces. The inaugural list 'Washington's Most Equitable Workplaces' was featured in the Puget Sound Business Journal special report and annual Book of Lists. GEN partners with participating business journals within the ACBJ group to publish these rankings.
- University of Washington Evans School of Public Policy and GovernancecoreThe GEN Certification Assessment Methodology and Standard were created in partnership with a team from the University of Washington. The UW Evans School Consulting Lab provides consulting support through students (Anna Hughes and Vinnie Tran). Dr. Karin Martin and Dorothy Bullitt are affiliated with the Evans School.
- Affinity Groups and Community PartnersminorGEN partnered with affinity groups when developing its 200+ indicators to focus on employees whose experiences are often overlooked or undervalued in gender equity initiatives. Special thanks to partners including COJK displayed on website.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
GEN competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Paradigm for Parity: Paradigm for Parity is a coalition of organizations committed to gender parity in corporate leadership. It is a broad incumbent in the gender-equity space, operating as a coalition and research-driven advocacy organization rather than a certification body — overlapping in mission and buyer audience.
- Catalyst: Catalyst is a long-established global nonprofit focused on workplace gender equity through research, benchmarking, and advisory services. It is a broader incumbent: it does not issue a certification but supplies research, membership, and consulting to enterprise DEI buyers — directly competing with GEN's consulting stream.
- McKinsey (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion practice): McKinsey's DEI practice publishes widely cited research (Women in the Workplace with LeanIn) and sells enterprise DEI strategy consulting. It is a broad incumbent competing for the same enterprise DEI advisory budget that GEN's consulting stream targets, with massive scale advantages.
Emerging players
- Textio: Textio is an augmented writing platform that uses data to debias hiring and performance feedback — directly aligned with GEN's 'design out bias' methodology. Both target the same buyer (HR/DEI leaders) with measurable, bias-reduction solutions, though Textio is software-centric and Seattle-based like GEN.
- Kanarys: Kanarys is a DEI benchmarking and analytics platform that helps companies measure, benchmark, and improve DEI outcomes through employee surveys and reporting. It overlaps with GEN on the measurement/assessment layer and competes for the same HR-tech budget, though it is platform-based rather than certification-based.
- Disclo: Disclo is a workplace disclosure and accommodation management platform focused on disability and DEI compliance. It represents the emerging HR-tech wave that commoditizes aspects of DEI measurement, overlapping with GEN's intersectional indicator approach around disability status.
Direct peers
- DiversityInc: DiversityInc operates a Top 50 Companies for Diversity ranking and offers benchmarking, data, and advisory to corporate DEI leaders. The model mirrors GEN's Index (regional rankings + paid benchmarks) and the consulting/benchmarking layer overlaps with GenderSmart, though DiversityInc lacks a formal certification credential.
- EDGE Certified Foundation (now EDGEplus): EDGE Certified is the closest global peer: it issues workplace gender equality certifications using an audit-based methodology covering pay, hiring, leadership, and work-life balance. Like GEN, it sells a credential to employers, but its certification is internationally oriented and less focused on the intersectional (race, age, caretaker status) lens that GEN emphasizes in the U.S.
- B Lab (B Corporation): B Lab operates the B Corp certification for businesses meeting social and environmental performance standards, including equity-related indicators. It is structurally analogous to GEN — a third-party certification body charging assessment fees — though its scope is broader (environment, governance, workers, community) versus GEN's workplace equity focus.
- Great Place to Work Institute: Great Place to Work certifies and ranks workplaces based on employee survey data, including diversity and inclusion metrics. It is comparable as a survey-driven workplace certification with paid assessment fees, recognized annual lists, and consulting upsells — directly competing for the same HR/DEI leader budget.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
GEN social profiles
Digital presenceGEN financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
GEN leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
GEN funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
GEN M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about GEN
What does GEN do?
GEN (Gender Equity Now) is a U.S.-based nonprofit that issues the GEN Certification, a national gold-standard certification for intersectional gender equity in the workplace, evaluating organizations across 200-plus indicators. It complements the certification with diagnostic assessments, design-based consulting (GenderSmart), and workshops focused on transforming workplace culture and debiasing processes.
Is GEN a public or private company?
GEN is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was GEN founded?
GEN was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is GEN based?
GEN is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does GEN make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. GEN Certification is the primary driver. The others are assessments & Consulting, workshops and donations.
Who are GEN's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Paradigm for Parity, Catalyst and McKinsey (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion practice). Emerging players are Textio, Kanarys and Disclo. Direct peers are DiversityInc, EDGE Certified Foundation (now EDGEplus), B Lab (B Corporation) and Great Place to Work Institute.
Does GEN have an API?
No public API is recorded for GEN.
What industry is GEN in?
GEN's product category is Workplace Equity Certification and Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAGAJ, DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) & Belonging Consulting, with a secondary code of BPACAJAJ, DEI, Equity & Inclusion Advisory. Its NAICS code is 61169.