The Hub exists within an industry with a lot of jargon and you may run across unfamiliar terms. This page shares our definitions and understanding of those terms.
Terms
A program that offers mentoring, training, and sometimes funding to startups to help them grow rapidly.
An individual who provides capital for a startup, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity.
A group of angel investors who pool their resources to invest in startup companies.
Starting a business without external help or capital, growing it using personal finances or revenue from the business.
A strategic management template for developing new or documenting existing business models.
A spreadsheet or table that shows the equity capitalization for a company.
Shared workspaces used by different individuals and organizations to provide a collaborative and flexible working environment.
Funding a project or venture by raising small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet.
The rate at which investment offers are presented to funding institutions.
Innovations that significantly alter the way businesses or entire industries operate.
External organizations or individuals who collaborate with a startup ecosystem to provide services, funding, or expertise.
A brief, persuasive speech that you use to spark interest in what your organization does.
Experienced entrepreneurs placed in venture capital firms, accelerators, or other institutions to help develop new startups.
An entrepreneurial ecosystem is a network of people and institutions that support entrepreneurs, including those who start and grow businesses, and those who can help companies grow. It also includes the knowledge and resources that entrepreneurs need. Source.
A planned approach to exit a business, usually aiming for a high valuation.
Technology and innovation that aims to compete with traditional financial methods in the delivery of financial services.
Strategies and tactics aimed specifically at building and engaging the customer base of a business.
An event, typically lasting several days, in which a large number of people meet to engage in collaborative computer programming.
Investments made with the intention to generate positive, measurable social and environmental impact alongside a financial return.
Similar to an accelerator, but often with a longer duration and a focus on nurturing early-stage startups.
Geographic areas where leading-edge anchor institutions and companies cluster and connect with startups, business incubators, and accelerators.
A community space or research institute that promotes innovation and collaboration.
A measurable value that demonstrates how effectively a company is achieving key business objectives.
A methodology for developing businesses and products that aim to shorten product development cycles and rapidly discover if a proposed business model is viable.
The process of determining whether your product or service is of interest to a given target market.
Guidance provided by an experienced person in a company or educational institution.
The version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learnings about customers with the least effort.
Interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts.
Funding that does not require the sale of shares and therefore does not dilute the ownership of the company.
An event where entrepreneurs present their business ideas to a panel of judges and compete for prizes and funding.
A situation where a company's product satisfies a strong market demand.
Evidence that a concept or theory is feasible and can work in a real, operational environment.
A framework set up by a regulator that allows small scale, live testing of innovations by private firms in a controlled environment.
Investment capital that is invested in speculative activities, providing the potential for substantial returns.
The capability of a system, network, or process to handle a growing amount of work, or its potential to be enlarged to accommodate that growth.
The initial capital used to start a business, often coming from the founders themselves or close friends, family, and supporters.
A region in California known for being a hub of technology and innovation.
The use of startup companies and other entrepreneurs to develop, fund, and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues.
A type of corporate reorganization involving the separation of a division to form a new independent corporation.
The network of individuals (entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, angel investors, mentors), institutions and organizations (incubators, accelerators), and processes (business model creation, market entry) that interact to foster the growth of startups.