I think if anyone is willing to work with no income for options, it's OK to call them founders. Anyone pre-VC is basically a founder anyway. There will never be

I think if anyone is willing to work with no income for options, it's OK to call them founders. Anyone pre-VC is basically a founder anyway. There will never be any doubt about who the 'real' founder is. In the end, it's more important for you to know that you're the majority shareholder than for others to know who the founders are. You get to sit on the board and you get to have the most control.