nurture

Definition

In startup circles, the delicate art of hand-holding your leads, customers, or portfolio companies through their developmental journey with strategic attention and resources—because apparently letting things grow naturally is for gardeners, not venture capitalists.

Example Usage

We need to nurture these early-stage founders with mentorship and capital to turn them into unicorns.

Source: Common startup/VC terminology

Related Terms

Beginner

portfolio company

A startup that a VC firm has invested in, now living in their collection like a Pokémon card. Each firm has dozens, knowing most will fail but hoping one becomes a legendary holographic Charizard.

🚀 Startup / VC

Beginner

homegrown

Built entirely in-house by internal team without external consultants or enterprise solutions; a diplomatic term meaning 'we did this ourselves with our budget and talent level.'

🚀 Startup / VC

Beginner

fundraising

The noble art of convincing individuals, corporations, and foundations to part with their money for your cause, institution, or startup dream. In education, it's what keeps universities building new buildings with donors' names on them. In nonprofits and startups, it's a full-time job disguised as networking events and carefully crafted pitch decks.

🚀 Startup / VC

Advanced

participation rights

A clause letting preferred investors double-dip by getting their liquidation preference back AND participating in the remaining proceeds with common shareholders. It's having your cake, eating it too, and taking a slice of everyone else's.

🚀 Startup / VC

Beginner

Dead Pool

The accumulating list of failed startups and failed startup founders—a real place we're all slowly joining.

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

up-stack

Moving to build or sell products at higher layers of technology infrastructure, typically where margins are better and you're further from commoditized infrastructure. The opposite of down-stack, and usually more profitable.

🚀 Startup / VC

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