Disrupting disruption with disruptive disruptions since 2010.
Building a company using nothing but your own savings, credit cards, and an alarming tolerance for ramen noodles. It's the startup equivalent of performing surgery on yourself -- theoretically possible, but everyone watching is deeply uncomfortable.
The speed at which a startup spends its investors' money, measured in dollars per month and panic attacks per quarter. It's called burn rate because watching your cash evaporate feels exactly like watching something on fire.
The strategy of growing a company at breakneck speed while intentionally ignoring efficiency, profitability, and the screams of your finance team. It's named after the German military tactic because both involve advancing recklessly and hoping the supply lines hold.
A chair at the table where actual company decisions get made, typically negotiated by lead investors who want control over their millions. Where strategy is debated, CEOs are fired, and founders learn they don't actually run their company alone.
Building a company with personal savings, credit cards, and stress ulcers instead of venture capital—either a badge of honor or an excuse for slow growth, depending on your exit results. It's entrepreneurship on hard mode.
A capital efficiency metric calculated as net burn divided by net new ARR, measuring how many dollars a company incincinerates to generate each dollar of recurring revenue. A burn multiple under 1.5x suggests efficiency; above 3x suggests a bonfire of investor capital.
A governing body that theoretically oversees your startup but mostly just attends meetings and questions your decisions, led by the investors who own significant stakes.
An entrepreneur who returns to start another company after their previous venture was acquired or failed. They're either gluttons for punishment or genuinely addicted to the startup lifestyle.
The magical realm where scientists play God with DNA and investors play roulette with their portfolios. Short for biotechnology, it's the industry that promises to cure cancer, extend your lifespan, and justify obscene R&D budgets—all while burning through cash faster than a lab incinerator. Whether it's CRISPR gene editing or synthetic biology, biotech is where biology meets business and hope meets hype.
Someone who attends board meetings but lacks voting rights, typically a junior investor or potential future investor. They're flies on the wall with NDAs and calendars full of meetings they can't influence.
The intentional or unintentional obscuring of lines—whether between work and life, industries converging, or ethical boundaries getting fuzzy in your data practices.
To launch a startup or project with minimal external funding by leveraging existing resources and sweat equity. The term originates from computing (where an OS loads itself into memory) but has become startup gospel—basically, pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps while investors watch from the sidelines.
The industry dedicated to using living organisms and biological systems to create products, solve problems, and generally play god in the most profitable way possible. It's where biology meets engineering meets venture capital, resulting in everything from life-saving drugs to designer yeast that makes better beer. Think of it as science's entrepreneurial phase, where petri dishes can lead to IPOs.
The messy dissolution of a startup partnership, romantic relationship, or team dynamic—often marked by awkward equity discussions, passive-aggressive Slack messages, and lawyers getting involved.
When a startup seeks a lead investor for their next round who isn't part of their existing investor group, potentially signaling problems or a desire for fresh perspectives. It's the venture capital equivalent of changing friend groups.
Emergency funding meant to tide a startup over until the 'real' funding round happens, often at desperate terms. Named after a bridge because you're hoping it doesn't collapse before you reach the other side.
Selling to other companies rather than consumers, typically involving longer sales cycles and higher contract values.
The messy dissolution of a relationship (romantic or business) where two things that were stuck together decide they'd rather never see each other again. Bonus awkwardness if they share a friend group.
Selling directly to individual consumers, requiring massive scale and viral growth to be venture-viable.
Short-term money to keep you alive until someone actually funds you properly. Usually at slightly worse terms than you'd normally accept.
Financially obliterated; what happens when you've spent all your capital on ideas that looked good on a napkin at 2 AM. A state every entrepreneur fears and half have experienced.
The early release of a product to limited users for testing and feedback. It's a safe way to find bugs before the internet makes fun of you in public.
To officially embark on a vessel, aircraft, or train after security clearance; also corporate-speak for officially joining a project or organization after onboarding procedures. The moment of no return, metaphorically speaking.
Developing within existing codebase and systems, guaranteed to be slower and more frustrating than greenfield development but somehow more realistic about constraints.