progenitor

A forefather, any of a person's direct ancestors.

A person from whom one or more people (dynasty, tribe, nation…) are descended.

Abraham, alias Ibrahim, is the presumed progenitor of both the Jewish and Arab peoples.

An ancestral form of a species.

A predecessor of something, especially if also a precursor or model.

ARPANET was the progenitor of the Internet.

Are neural progenitor cells infected by Zika virus?

Someone who originates something.