Kill Zone

Definition

A space of the market that a powerful VC firm claims as theirs, and they'll kill any startup that tries to compete there. It's legal monopoly behavior with a cute name.

Example Usage

Sequoia has declared our market the 'kill zone' and our potential Series B investors are all passing—apparently they don't want to fight Sequoia.

Origin

Pejorative term that emerged in tech circles in the 2010s

Fun Fact

Some VCs explicitly tell companies they'll fund: 'We'll pay for you to acqui-hire your competitors'—basically admitting they enforce market dominance

Source: Modern venture capital criticism

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