groundbreaking

Definition

Supposedly novel and revolutionary; corporate-speak for 'we added one feature that already exists elsewhere but with aggressively different marketing.'

Example Usage

Their 'groundbreaking' app was literally Tinder for dog parks, but the pitch deck weaponized the word eleven times.

Source: Common startup and business buzzword terminology

Related Terms

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discount rate

The percentage discount early investors get when their notes convert to equity, rewarding them for investing before a priced round. It's the early bird special of startup investing, typically 15-25%.

🚀 Startup / VC

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secondary sale

Selling existing shares to other investors rather than the company issuing new shares, allowing early shareholders to get liquid without diluting anyone. The financial equivalent of sneaking out the back door.

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distribution

The return of capital to limited partners when a fund exits an investment, either as cash or occasionally as stock, representing the magical moment when paper gains become real money. The VC equivalent of actually getting your lottery winnings instead of just holding a ticket.

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cliffs

A sudden, catastrophic drop in value, performance, or viability—the moment your startup's growth chart becomes a ski slope in the wrong direction. Often used in VC circles to describe what happens when a company hits its scaling limit without a parachute.

🚀 Startup / VC

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exit

In startup land, the glorious moment when founders and investors finally cash out, either through acquisition or IPO, turning years of ramen dinners and sleepless nights into actual money. It's the entrepreneurial equivalent of winning the lottery, except you had to build the lottery first. Every VC's favorite word and every founder's obsession after their Series A.

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

micro-VC

A venture fund typically under $50M that invests small checks in very early-stage startups. They offer founder-friendly terms and actual attention, mainly because they can't afford fancy offices or ignore their investments.

🚀 Startup / VC

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