Wantrepreneur

Definition

Someone who talks about starting a company the way other people talk about going to the gym -- constantly, passionately, and with absolutely no intention of following through. Their startup is always launching next month, and next month is always next month.

Example Usage

"He's been a wantrepreneur for six years, which means he has 47 domain names, 200 business cards, zero products, and a LinkedIn bio that says serial entrepreneur."

Related Terms

Beginner

founder-friendly

A marketing term VCs use to describe their approach, supposedly indicating fair terms and supportive behavior. In practice, it often means 'we won't screw you quite as hard as the other guys.'

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

Hockey Stick

A growth chart that shows flat revenue followed by a sudden exponential spike, resembling a hockey stick if you squint and ignore the part where most startups never reach the blade. It's the most fictional graph in pitch decks since the invention of PowerPoint.

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

TAM/SAM/SOM

Total Addressable Market, Serviceable Addressable Market, and Serviceable Obtainable Market—three increasingly pessimistic estimates of how much money you might theoretically make. The trilogy of optimism, realism, and 'if everything goes perfectly.'

🚀 Startup / VC

Beginner

entrepreneurial

Having the qualities of someone who starts businesses, takes risks, and believes their idea will totally disrupt an industry despite statistical odds suggesting otherwise. It's the adjective form of optimistic delusion mixed with genuine innovation and an unhealthy comfort with uncertainty. Basically, it describes people who see opportunities where normal humans see reasons to keep their day job.

🚀 Startup / VC

Beginner

Angel Investor

A wealthy individual who gives money to startups in exchange for equity and the warm feeling of watching their investment evaporate. They're called angels because they appear from heaven with cash and then watch helplessly as you fly straight into the ground.

🚀 Startup / VC

Advanced

greenshoe option

A provision in IPO underwriting allowing underwriters to sell additional shares if demand exceeds expectations, typically up to 15% more. Named after the first company to use it, because finance people hate straightforward names.

🚀 Startup / VC

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