Startup glossary

Also called startup accelerator

An accelerator is a structured, short-term program designed to speed up a startup's progress toward product-market fit, traction, fundraising, or scale.

Also called acqui-hire

An acquihire is an acquisition or acquisition-like transaction in which the buyer's primary goal is to hire the target company's team rather than to acquire the target's operating business, revenue, customers, or standalone product.

Also called angel

An angel investor is an individual who invests their own money in an early-stage startup, usually in exchange for equity, a SAFE, or convertible debt.

Also called startup incubator

An incubator is a support environment for turning a nascent idea or early company into a startup that is more ready for customers, funding, or an accelerator.

An indie hacker is a founder who tries to make money independently by building and selling an internet-based product, usually without venture capital, a large team, or a traditional employer.

Also called employee option pool

An option pool is a block of company equity reserved for current and future employees, advisors, and other contributors.

Also called VC scout program

A scout program is a structured venture-capital program that recruits external people to help a fund discover, refer, evaluate, or sometimes invest in early-stage startups.

A solo founder is a startup founder who starts and leads a company without a cofounder.

Also called strategic

A strategic investor is an investor that backs a startup partly or primarily for business reasons beyond direct financial return.

A syndicate lead is the person or entity responsible for leading a deal-by-deal group investment into a startup.

Also called startup studio

A venture studio is an organization that systematically creates new startups by generating or sourcing ideas, validating them, building early products, recruiting founders or operators, providing shared resources, and retaining meaningful equity in the companies it helps create.