Definition
A startup that's past the early stage and trying to grow as fast as possible. It's the phase where you hire thousands of people who aren't sure what the product is.
Example Usage
We've transitioned from startup to scaleup, which means we've hired a VP of People and everyone pretends to understand the org chart.
Origin
Terminology that became popular in the mid-2010s
Fun Fact
The term 'scaleup' is often used to distance from the 'startup' label, which carries connotations of failure and instability
Source: Modern business terminology
Related Terms
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See “Scaleup” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.
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