triple down

Definition

When a VC aggressively increases their investment in a portfolio company across multiple rounds, betting their career on being right. Conviction investing taken to its logical extreme.

Example Usage

After leading the Series A and B, the partner convinced his fund to triple down with a massive Series C check.

Origin

Gambling terminology adopted by VCs in the 2010s, escalating from 'double down'

Fun Fact

Sequoia's decision to triple down on Airbnb through multiple down rounds is now taught as a case study in conviction.

Source: Venture capital investment terminology

Related Terms

Intermediate

vested

The magical moment when stock options or retirement contributions officially become yours to keep, transforming from corporate dangling carrot into actual ownership. It's the golden handcuffs' lock clicking shut, ensuring you'll think twice before rage-quitting. The startup world's version of 'you must be this loyal to ride this rocket ship.'

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

power law

The mathematical reality that in venture capital, one or two investments generate nearly all the returns while the rest are mediocre or dead. Why VCs can lose money on 90% of their portfolio and still return 3x the fund.

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

lever

A mechanical advantage device that pivots on a fulcrum to multiply force, or in startup parlance, anything you can use to do more with less. Every MBA in Silicon Valley thinks they've found a "lever" to pull, usually right before asking for $5M in seed funding. Physics teachers hate how loosely VCs use this term, but hey, at least someone's paying attention to simple machines.

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

impetus

The driving force or stimulus that gets something moving, whether it's a business initiative, social movement, or your motivation to finally start that side project. In startup land, it's whatever convinces founders they can disrupt an industry, usually a personal pain point or too much coffee. Think of it as the corporate equivalent of "what sparked this terrible/brilliant idea?"

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

post-money valuation

Company valuation after investment capital is added, the number founders brag about while carefully omitting the 'post-money' qualifier. What your company is theoretically worth with someone else's money included.

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

up-stack

Moving to build or sell products at higher layers of technology infrastructure, typically where margins are better and you're further from commoditized infrastructure. The opposite of down-stack, and usually more profitable.

🚀 Startup / VC

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supremum

The mathematical equivalent of 'as good as it gets without actually getting there'—the smallest upper bound of a set. ...