Our purpose
We believe that when a company makes a public claim, about its impact, its products, or its values, people should be able to believe it. Our purpose is to build an independent public record of which company claims hold up, so that trust in business is earned through evidence, not simply declared.
Why this matters
People, planet and commerce flourish where trust is richest.
Businesses exist to solve problems for people, and the better you solve them, the more you should be paid. That is how it should work. But it only works when trust is earned: when the company that did the work and the company that only claims it did can be told apart. Unsubstantiated claims are anti-competitive and anti-consumer, and there have been very few ways to check them.
Fortunately, we built one.
We read what companies say publicly. We look for the evidence. We publish what we find. Every claim graded. Every source cited. Every company given a fair right of reply. And because most gaps are oversight, not intent, every finding names the way to close it.
We start with the companies whose claims have the most outsize impact on the economy, the environment, and people, because when the stakes are highest, the standard should be too.
Integrity
We hold ourselves to the standard we grade others against.
If a company makes a public claim, the evidence behind it should be equally accessible, and the same goes for us. Our methodology is published. Our findings are published. Our grades are free, and the reasoning behind every one of them is there to be checked.
This is why we publish everything: the methodology, the evidence, the grades, and the reasoning behind them. If we expect companies to substantiate their claims, the least we can do is substantiate ours.
Independence
HowLegit is an independent, not-for-profit initiative. It operates in incubation with the Twoj Startup foundation while its independent structure is established. We operate as a not-for-profit because the record should belong to everyone. You can't pay for a better grade.
The platform is built by Optomize, HowLegit's technology partner. Optomize and HowLegit share a founder; grades answer only to evidence.
How it's funded
Standard audits are conducted as part of sector-wide scans and published on the register at no cost to the graded entity.
Organisations that want results sooner can request a prioritised audit, delivered by Optomize for a fee. Sector intelligence reports are also available on a paid basis. In both cases, grading remains independent. The revenue funds the register.
Who's behind this
Galeno Chua (Mr. G)
Founder, HowLegit
For over 15 years, Galeno has worked at the intersection of business strategy, sustainability, and behavioural change across Cambodia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Central Europe. He has advised the United Nations Development Programme, the Royal Government of Cambodia, and the Polish Government, and has coached startups through Google-funded accelerators for impact and the Callaghan-funded Startup Aotearoa programme in New Zealand.
At HowLegit, Galeno leads methodology development, client relationships, and the auditor framework. His work is rooted in a simple observation: most organisations don't communicate badly out of dishonesty. They do it because nobody has shown them the gap between what they say and what the evidence actually supports.
Marika Vallier
Analyst and Auditor, HowLegit
Marika has spent her career inside the gap between what organisations say and what they actually do. She led Talent Development and HR at an Australian startup bringing clean, affordable electricity to last-mile communities across Cambodia, the Philippines, and Nigeria. She learned, at close range, what it looks like when a company's values are real, and what it looks like when they aren't.
That experience didn't make her cynical. It made her precise.
Marika brings that precision to every HowLegit audit, making sure our reports don't just sound rigorous, but are.
What early users say
"Amazing mock up and easy to navigate report, aligning with ESG motivation from within our business lines. Really excited to get stuck in and see what changes we can implement based on this analysis."Alice Floyd Sustainability Advisor, Leighs Construction
"No prior knowledge in sustainability or AI needed! HowLegit gets straight to the point saving days of time in training or researching standards and write up. No consultants required!"James McKenna Engineer, Argus Manutech
"HowLegit's environmental messaging audit for Untouched World has provided us with a super clear and understandable toolbox on how to further deepen our compliance policy work around ESG against actual standards, identify risks and where we could be communicating the work we are already doing better."Fiona Bretherton Development Manager, Untouched World
"The report summarises where we are doing well in sharing our public information, but it is even better at showing our gaps. It is very helpful to gauge today, without the expense and time cost of regular audits. It also creates a snapshot that could be compared a year later to show actual progress. The best part is the link to the relevant frameworks. This helps guide us in making our internal and external reporting more consistent. It is worth it."Mitchel Rogers Sustainability Advisor, Corde