hockey stick growth

Definition

The mythical J-curve trajectory where metrics stay flat forever and then suddenly shoot straight up, resembling a hockey stick. Every founder claims this is coming; few actually achieve it.

Example Usage

Our pitch deck shows hockey stick growth starting next quarter—just like it did last quarter, and the quarter before that.

Origin

Business and finance terminology, popularized in 1990s dot-com era pitch presentations

Fun Fact

Statistical analysis shows that 90% of projected hockey sticks are actually just flat lines with wishful thinking.

Source: Startup growth metrics and pitch presentation terminology

Related Terms

Advanced

j-curve

The pattern where a venture fund initially shows negative returns as it deploys capital and pays fees, before (hopefully) shooting upward when investments exit. A graph that looks like the letter J, assuming your fund doesn't remain in the vertical downstroke forever.

🚀 Startup / VC

Beginner

warm intro

An introduction to an investor or customer through a mutual connection, vastly more effective than cold outreach. The difference between your email being read and being instantly deleted by an EA.

🚀 Startup / VC

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cram down round

A financing round where new investors impose harsh terms on existing shareholders who lack the votes to block it. It's democracy in action, if democracy meant 'whoever has the most money wins.'

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

land grab

Aggressively pursuing market share and user growth at the expense of profitability or unit economics, betting that dominance now will create a moat later. It's monopoly thinking fueled by venture capital.

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

change of control

Any transaction that transfers majority ownership or control of a company, typically triggering various contractual provisions like vesting acceleration, payment obligations, or approval rights. The legal definition of when your startup stops being yours.

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

capital efficiency

The art of building a valuable company while raising as little outside funding as possible, preserving founder ownership and bragging rights. It's increasingly rare in an era of mega-rounds and bloated valuations.

🚀 Startup / VC

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