deal flow

Definition

The rate at which investment opportunities come across a VC's desk. Good deal flow means seeing quality startups before everyone else; bad deal flow means getting pitched by anyone with a Squarespace website and a dream.

Example Usage

Moving to SF improved our deal flow dramatically—we went from seeing 10 companies a month to 50 per week.

Origin

Investment banking terminology from the 1980s

Fun Fact

Top VCs reject 99%+ of deals they see, meaning even with great deal flow, they're mostly saying 'no' all day—the diet of venture capital.

Source: Investment banking and venture capital operations

Related Terms

Beginner

SaaS

Software as a Service -- a business model where customers pay monthly to rent software they'll never own, like a never-ending apartment lease for your data. It's the tech industry's greatest invention: turning a one-time purchase into a lifetime of recurring payments.

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

Series A

The first major institutional funding round, where venture capitalists invest millions based on actual metrics instead of just vibes, which eliminates approximately 90% of startups. It's called Series A because it's the first of potentially many rounds, like academic grades but for companies.

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

dead equity

Equity allocated to former employees, advisors, or early team members who are no longer contributing to the company but still own shares. It's the corporate equivalent of paying rent for a ghost tenant.

🚀 Startup / VC

Beginner

startup

A fledgling company designed for rapid growth and scale, typically fueled by venture capital, caffeine, and the unwavering belief that this time will be different. These entrepreneurial ventures aim to disrupt industries, change the world, and achieve unicorn status—though most will pivot three times and run out of runway first. It's where innovation meets delusion in the most optimistic way possible.

🚀 Startup / VC

Advanced

fund velocity

The speed at which a venture fund moves through its investment cycle, from raising capital to deploying it to returning capital to LPs. Faster isn't always better—ask anyone who inhaled their food and got heartburn.

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

metrics that matter

The handful of key performance indicators that actually determine business health versus the vanity metrics founders cite in pitch meetings. Revenue and retention versus social media followers and press mentions.

🚀 Startup / VC

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