Business Terms Glossary |S - Startup

Scale

To grow; typically associated with fast growth and improving capital efficiency. A company that is "at scale" has captured most or all of these efficiencies.
Example: Google was able to scale quickly because their infrastructure is highly automated.
Source: www.startupdefinition.com

Seed Round

A small round of funding that is raised by a very early stage company prior to a Series A investment. Often done in the form of a convertible note. Example: We raised a €500k seed round to build out our MVP.
Source: www.startupdefinition.com

Serial Entrepreneur

A person who has started many companies, usually one after another.
Example: Elon Musk's multiple successful IPO's cemented his reputation as a serial entrepreneur
Source: www.startupdefinition.com

Series A

Typically refers to the first major round of VC funding taken on by a company; name is derived from the class of stock issued to the investors in that round
Example: A year after our seed round, we raised a €5 Million Series A with a top-tier investor.
Source: www.startupdefinition.com

Soft Landing

An outcome for a troubled startup that prevents them from going out of business. Often allows investors to get some portion of their money back, team members to get new jobs, and the founders to save face in the press. Example: After their product failed to take off, they started looking for a soft landing for their business.
Source: www.startupdefinition.com

Startup

A company, usually of small size, that started little time ago.
Contributor: André Valente

Strategic Acquired

An operating company, as opposed to a financial investor like a private equity firm, that acquires another company. Often pays a higher price than would be indicated by the financials of the acquired company because the acquirer gets strategic benefit from the deal.
Example: Google often pays a premium when acquiring ad-tech startups because they are a strategic acquirer.
Source: www.startupdefinition.com