Startup Culture
Cultural concepts, practices, and norms in the startup and venture ecosystem.
9 terms
Bootstrap
Building and growing a company using only personal funds and operating revenue, without external investment.
Founder Market Fit
The degree to which a founder's background, expertise, and passion align with the market they're pursuing, often considered the strongest predictor of startup success.
Founder Mode
A management philosophy where founders stay deeply involved in operational decisions rather than delegating to professional managers — popularized by Paul Graham's 2024 essay.
Hockey Stick Growth
A growth pattern characterized by a flat or slow early period followed by a sudden, steep upward trajectory — resembling the shape of a hockey stick.
Scale-Up
A company that has found product-market fit and is focused on rapidly expanding its customer base, team, and revenue.
Shipping
Releasing product updates, features, or fixes to users — used in startup culture to signal execution velocity and bias toward action over planning.
Startup Burnout
Founder or team exhaustion resulting from prolonged high-intensity startup work.
Sweat Equity
Ownership stake earned through labor and effort rather than financial investment.
Underwater Options
Stock options with an exercise price higher than the current fair market value of the underlying shares, making them worthless if exercised.