Startup

What is a startup?

An innovative company designed to grow exponentially and scale across multiple markets. In its early stages, it will face considerable uncertainty about the ideal product and business model to support that growth and scalability.

Typically, this exponential growth is driven by technology, which allows the company to keep operating costs lower than those of a “traditional” business, such as a restaurant, factory, or retail chain.

Another important factor is that a startup can be a “fund returner” for its investors. In other words, its funding cycle (if that is what the founders choose) will deliver returns associated with the venture capital industry, the asset class to which startups belong.

What is a startup? Definitions from the experts

The definition above is our definition at Startuplinks, which we developed based on the definitions of 2 highly regarded people in the international startup ecosystem, as well as our own experience. 

The 2 definitions from the experts mentioned above are:

“A 'startup' is a company that is confused about: What its product is, Who its customers are and How to make money” Dave McClure, Co-founder of 500 startups.

“A startup is a company designed to grow fast”  Paul Graham, Co-founder of Y Combinator.