All memos tagged #startup-lexicon

Private equity refers to a form of investment capital that is raised and invested in privately held companies, typically outside of public stock exchanges. In private equity transactions, investors...

A one-person unicorn refers to a billion-dollar company that is founded and run by a single individual, made possible by advancements in AI and automation that allow one person to manage various...

Monthly recurring revenue (MRR) is a key financial metric used to measure the predictable, recurring revenue generated by a business within a given month. It is most commonly applied in...

Lifetime Value (LTV) is a financial and marketing metric that estimates the total revenue a business can expect from a single customer account throughout the entire duration of their relationship....

Growth loop describes a cyclical process in which the outputs of one stage directly feed into the inputs of another, creating a self-reinforcing system that accelerates results over time. A growth...

First-party data is information that an organization collects directly from its audience, customers, or users through its own channels and interactions. This data is typically gathered via websites,...

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) is a financial-metric that estimates the total revenue a business can reasonably expect from a customer over the duration of their relationship. CLV is often calculated...

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is a financial-metric that measures the average cost incurred by a company to acquire a new customer. It is calculated by dividing the total expenses related to sales...

A capitalization table, or cap table, is a structured record that outlines the ownership stakes, equity dilution, and value of shares in a company. A cap table typically lists all...

Techno-fundamentalism is the belief that one can, and must, invent the next technology to fix the problem caused by the last technology; the idea that every problem will be solved by technological...

In the U.S., accelerators are surfacing from Miami to New England; a group “blue angels” are working to make bluetech the next cleantech; S2G Ventures launched a $100M oceans fund; the Sustainable...

Third-party data is information collected by entities that have no direct relationship with the individuals whose data is being gathered, typically aggregated from multiple sources and sold or...

A pivot is a fundamental shift in a startup's business model, product, target market, or core strategy based on lessons learned from market feedback and validated learning. The term was popularized...

An exit is the event through which a founder, investor, or early employee liquidates their ownership stake in a company, converting equity into cash or publicly traded shares. Exits are the primary...

The Startup Glossary is a collection of terms used in startup culture, venture-backed business, and growth-stage operations. It serves founders, operators, and investors navigating the language of...

Product-market fit is the degree to which a product satisfies a strong market demand, serving as a critical foundation for sustainable business growth. In startup culture, stories of rapid scaling...

Series A refers to the first significant financing-round in which a startup raises venture capital after Series Seed funding, typically aimed at scaling proven Product-Market Fit (PMF) and building...

Series Seed refers to an early-stage priced equity financing-round in which a startup raises institutional capital in exchange for preferred stock. In venture practice, Series Seed generally follows...

Pre-Seed refers to the earliest external financing-round for a startup, in which investors provide capital to validate problem–solution fit, assemble a founding team, and begin initial product...

Daily Active User (DAU) is a metric used to measure the number of individuals who engage with a platform or application on a daily basis. It serves as an indicator of user retention and engagement...