logo collecting

Definition

When a startup prioritizes acquiring recognizable brand-name customers purely for credibility, even if those deals are unprofitable or unsustainable. It's the corporate equivalent of name-dropping at parties.

Example Usage

The enterprise startup was logo collecting, offering deep discounts to Fortune 500s just to display their brands on the website.

Origin

Emerged in B2B SaaS culture during the 2010s growth boom

Fun Fact

Logo collecting can backfire when those marquee customers demand unsustainable custom features or churn when discounts expire.

Source: Enterprise sales and marketing terminology

Related Terms

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reserve allocation

Capital set aside by a VC fund to support existing portfolio companies in future rounds. The difference between investing in 20 companies and actually having money to help the 2-3 that work.

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Intermediate

land grab

Aggressively pursuing market share and user growth at the expense of profitability or unit economics, betting that dominance now will create a moat later. It's monopoly thinking fueled by venture capital.

🚀 Startup / VC

Beginner

SaaS

Software as a Service -- a business model where customers pay monthly to rent software they'll never own, like a never-ending apartment lease for your data. It's the tech industry's greatest invention: turning a one-time purchase into a lifetime of recurring payments.

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Advanced

vulture capital

Investors who prey on distressed startups, offering unfavorable terms when founders are desperate. They prefer the smell of burning runway in the morning.

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

Growth Hacking

A Silicon Valley term for marketing on a budget, dressed up to sound like you're breaking into a mainframe. In practice, it usually means spamming people on LinkedIn and calling it a strategy.

📣 Marketing / Advertising🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

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.

🚀 Startup / VC

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