Foundations

The foundational vocabulary every founder needs before everything else. This cluster covers what a startup actually is, the categories that distinguish them (bootstrap vs venture-backed, lifestyle vs scale-up), the support ecosystem (accelerators, incubators, agencies), the early credits and grants founders chase, and the structural concepts (founder-market fit, why startups fail) that shape every decision that follows. 21 entries.

If you're new to startup vocabulary, start here. If you're a few years in, this cluster is the conceptual baseline against which everything else is read.

What a startup is

[Startup], the foundational definition; not every small business is a startup.
[Early Stage], the spectrum from idea to product-market fit.
[Founder-Market Fit], alignment between founder background and market; the underrated investor evaluation criterion.
[Traction Startup], the moment when a startup goes from idea to measurable customer pull.

Startup categories and outcomes

[Bootstrap Startup], building without outside capital; constraints and advantages.
[Venture Backed], taking outside capital with venture-scale ambition.
[Lifestyle Business], profitable small business by design, not a venture target.
[Scale Up], the stage past startup, before mature company.
[Unicorn], the $1B+ private valuation milestone.
[Online Startup], internet-native company variants.

Support ecosystem

[Startup Accelerator], time-boxed programs (YC, Techstars) with capital + community.
[Startup Incubator], earlier-stage programs with workspace and mentorship.
[Growth Agency], outside marketing partner for scaling.
[Startup Marketing Agency], specialized marketing for startups.
[Startup Website], the table-stakes web presence.

Capital, credits, and grants

[Startup Investment], how outside capital flows in.
[Startup Launch], the GA moment after pre-launch.
[A Business Grant], non-dilutive capital and where to find it.
[AWS Credits For Startups], startup-specific infrastructure credits.
[OpenAI Startup Credits], startup-specific AI compute credits.

Why startups don't make it

[Why Startups Fail], the most-cited failure modes and how to avoid them.

About the Author

Ryan Rutan

Founding Partner @ Startups.com platform | Clarity.fm, Launchrock, Fundable, Zirtual, and Co-Host of The Startup Therapy Podcast. Ryan has 15 years of experience as a Founder, Advisor, Mentor, and Investor — the quintessential startup guerrilla. He works with 100's of the best startups every year on everything from ideation, idea validation, early marketing traction, customer acquisition to fundraising, scaling, and operations.

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