Startup Words: Learn the lingo used by founders, teams, and investors

Key Takeaways

• Startup words are those used by founders, teams, and investors to communicate ideas, value, and growth in these new companies.
• Understanding startup vocabulary can help you confidently navigate pitch decks, meetings, job descriptions, and coffee chats.
• Popular startup words include angel investor, bootstrapping, and growth hacking. 
• Learning startup language and slang is easy when you study professional English in real business contexts.

When you work in a startup environment, it’s super important to talk the talk, not just walk the walk. Whether you’re heading into an investor meeting or sharing a pitch deck, knowing the language of these fast-paced environments is a non-negotiable.

But just as startup environments move fast, so too does the language we use within them. For founders, employees, product managers, and investors working in tech or business, you can score some points by learning the basic startup words. 

Promova is here to help, with this guide to common startup words and business language. So you master that corporate lingo, we provide definitions, context, and examples for each term, so you’ll be fluent in no time at all. 

Startup Words for Funding & Investment

At the heart of every startup is a team trying to fund their dream. And whether you’re an experienced entrepreneur or a new employee, you need to know how to talk about money. In this environment, you’ll commonly come across these words in places like pitch decks, emails to investors, and coffee chats.

Bootstrapping

• Definition: Building and growing a startup with your personal savings or revenue instead of seeking funding from investors. 
• Context: This practice is common in early-stage startups when the founders have a strategic plan to keep control of a private company. 
• Example: The founders bootstrapped the company for two years before deciding to raise capital as another form of cash flow. 

Angel Investor

• Definition: An individual who invests their personal money into an early-stage startup, helping them bridge the gap financially. Sometimes, they offer mentorship and networking opportunities. 
• Context: These potential investors are often the startup's first funding source. 
• Example: Without that angel investor believing in us when we first started, we’d never have the positive cash flow we do now.

Venture Capital (VC)

• Definition: The financial, technical, or managerial expertise that investors or venture capital firms provide to startups. Usually, they provide this in exchange for equity (or a share of ownership). 
• Context: You’ll hear this in discussions around growth or scaling a business.  
• Example: We raised our Series A round of funding from a respected VC firm.

Runway

• Definition: How long a startup can operate before running out of cash flow. 
• Context: Important to know when you’re discussing financial planning and investor meetings. 
• Example: After the funding round, we've only got a 12-month runway before we need to raise capital another way.

Startup Words for Product & Tech

Technology startups are a huge slice of the pie these days, and whether your business is involved directly in the industry or not, you need to know how to talk tech. Check out these startup jargon terms commonly used in product meetings, sprint planning, and engineering discussions.

MVP (Minimum Viable Product)

• Definition: The simplest version of a product that you can release to the public to test an idea. 
• Context: Used in early product development stages or the initial launch phases of companies. 
• Example: We’re launching our minimum viable product early next week, so we can figure out what needs fixing.

Iteration

• Definition: The many repeated updates and testing cycles that aim to improve a product, all part of the product development cycle. 
• Context: Used in agile development cycles when a product or tech is about to launch, but still needs fine-tuning. 
• Example: With each iteration, we added at least one new feature based on customer feedback. 

Scalability

• Definition: A product’s ability to grow and meet market demand without any major issues or roadblocks. 
• Context: Important for investors and engineers to understand how much they can expand or make changes to a product. 
• Example: Before we can expand overseas, we need to add some data on the product's scalability to this pitch deck. 

Tech Stack

• Definition: The various technologies a startup might use to build a product or deliver its service. 
• Context: Common in hiring and technical documentation to discuss software, platforms, services, and other tech. 
• Example: Our tech stack includes Python, React, and Azure, but we’re thinking of adding some new stuff.

Startup Words for Growth & Marketing

Every savvy founder knows how crucial it is to measure performance and customer behavior. These terms are commonly peppered in discussions about growth and marketing in the startup world, helping you link customers to your success.

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User Acquisition

• Definition: The process of gaining new users or customers, such as through a marketing strategy or product purchases. 
• Context: Used in discussions when you're trying to figure out how a company is gaining new users. 
• Example: In January, paid ads were the key to boosting our user acquisition rates.

Churn Rate

• Definition: The percentage of customers who stop using a product during a specific timeframe. 
• Context: Used regularly in subscription-based startups to determine how many customers they lost, or figure out where they're going wrong. 
• Example: Right now, our product team is focusing on reducing churn. 

Growth Hacking

• Definition: Using experimental, innovative, and low-cost strategies to try to achieve rapid growth. 
• Context: Popular in many startups in early stages, featuring a cycle of innovation, testing, and updating products to see what works. 
• Example: I’m glad we took a chance with growth hacking when we first launched, because it’s paying off now. 

CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)

• Definition: The total cost of gaining a new customer. Usually calculated by dividing all money spent on marketing strategy and sales by the number of new customers. 
• Context: Your customer acquisition cost is part of a financial and marketing analysis to determine whether your current approach is working. 
• Example: As soon as we figure out how to attract customers and lower our CAC, we can start making some real money.

Startup Words for Business Models

A startup can operate under various business models, which can get pretty confusing. So, once you master this startup jargon, you can better understand the strategy and approach your startup takes. 

B2B (Business-to-Business)

• Definition: A company that sells products or services to other businesses, rather than individual consumers. 
• Context: A B2B platform is common in tech and enterprise startups. 
• Example: Our startup operates as a B2B platform for HR teams, offering plenty of staff incentives for people in that industry.

B2C (Business-to-Consumer)

• Definition: A company that sells directly to individual consumers for personal use, rather than to other companies. 
• Context: These businesses often use emotional and personalized marketing and branding strategies to reach people. 
• Example: Since we’re a B2C startup, we really want to perfect the user experience on our website to build customer retention. 

SaaS (Software as a Service)

• Definition: A company that provides software through a subscription to its customers, and typically through a cloud-based installation that doesn’t require a physical setup.
• Context: These are among the most common startup models, including apps, cloud-based services, and project management tools. 
• Example: Our two separate companies will offer SaaS solutions for recruitment and HR teams.

Monetization

• Definition: How a startup plans to generate revenue and make money as a business. 
• Context: Discussed in growth and funding conversations to figure out the potential income streams a startup will have.
• Example: We have a few monetization strategies we can rely on with our existing customers, including subscriptions, paid content, and merchandise.

Startup Words for Culture & Operations

In a startup environment, there'll be plenty of discussions around team culture and how you’ll work togetether in those early stages. Here are a few phrases you might hear around the workplace, and what they mean.

Pivot

• Definition: A change in a product, business model, or direction that the business is taking. Usually taken when something isn’t working, or you’re trialling a new approach.  
• Context: Common in young startups when there’s no certainty about the best way to do business. 
• Example: After we received feedback from the customer satisfaction survey, we decided to pivot to a subscription-based model.

Remote-First

• Definition: A company designed to operate entirely remotely, with all staff working outside of a typical office and connecting only online. 
• Context: Remote teams can be a lower-cost alternative while startups are still growing, since there’s no need to pay for office space or equipment.
• Example: As a tech company, having a remote-first team makes it easy for us all to check in each morning online.

Cross-Functional Team

• Definition: A team made up of different roles and skills, allowing a startup to operate with a smaller team but still have the capabilities it needs 
• Context: Common in agile environments where things move quickly and there's not a lot of funding.  
• Example: The launch involved a cross-functional team including design, marketing, and operations.

Why Confidence Matters in Startup Communication

When you talk the talk, you come across as more confident. Understanding startup lingo means you’re able to tackle meetings, deliver pitches, and chat with investors about cash flow — all without breaking a sweat. This confidence is a great self-efficacy example (the belief in your ability to perform at work). And it’s a must in the sometimes-shaky world of startups.

Plus, when you’re confident in corporate language, you’ll become a better communicator overall. Learning business vocabulary leads you to contribute more ideas, attract investors, and possibly even earn yourself a promotion. 

Cut through startup jargon with Promova

Learning a language and working in the hectic startup community might sound like a lot of work. But Promova believes in you. We designed our language lessons to cater to busy professionals who need flexibility and simplicity. Here’s how you’ll do it:

• Access to our AI-powered tools, including Practice with AI and AI Tutor, so you can get real-time feedback on pronunciation and practice whenever you want.
• A tailored plan that suits your busy schedule and business model. Study in bite-sized chunks when you’re on the train, waiting for a meeting, or have time to spare.
• Learn startup words and corporate language lessons that you can implement in real time when you get back to the office.
• Practice real scenarios with zero hesitation, like pitching ideas or networking with investors, thanks to our AI role-play speaking tool.

No need for a formal certificate in Business English. Promova helps you master common lingo, professional expressions, HR terms, and vocab you’ll actually use, in a learning style that suits you. 

Conclusion: Why Learning Startup Words Pays Off

In an environment where you’re sharing ideas and imagining visions, business language fluency is a must. Become your own angel investor, and try our learning platform to master startup words and become a more confident, credible communicator. Give Promova a try today.