Elementary OS as a business was the two initial maintainers and that fell apart pretty spectacularly, plus a lot of the work was really not theirs they were just a distribution.

Apache's model is the traditional one which isn't aggressive enough. Linux foundation is more aggressive about offering lessons as products etc. I'm not as happy with LF' model as the hippie model but it is better than devolving into no new work causing no one to donate because ex-maintainers are supposed to have vesting future stock, etc.