# #startup-lexicon > Essential terminology, metrics, and concepts that define how startups are built, funded, and measured from inception through growth stages. ## Links - [Tag Page](https://staging.mythos.one/tag/startup-lexicon) - [MCP Server](https://staging.mythos.one/api/mcp) ## Memos - [Key Performance Indicator (KPI)](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/31748d): A key performance indicator (KPI) is a quantifiable metric used to evaluate the success of an organization, team, or individual in achieving specific objectives. KPIs are selected to align with... - [Venture Studio](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/00be11): A venture studio, also known as a Startup Studio, startup factory, or venture builder, is an organization that systematically builds new startups by providing resources such as capital, talent,... - [Startup Glossary](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/314d3b): Glossary Blue Angel — Cap Table churn Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) Daily Unique Reach (DAU) exit first-party data Growth Loop Lean Methodology Lifetime Value (LTV)... - [One-Person Unicorn](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/3fc2c7): A one-person unicorn refers to a billion-dollar company that is founded and run by a single individual, made possible by advancements in AI and automation that allow one person to manage various... - [Product-Market Fit (PMF)](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/923c6e): Product-market fit is the degree to which a product satisfies a strong market demand, serving as a critical foundation for sustainable business growth. In startup culture, stories of rapid scaling... - [Series A](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/e9be0e): Series A refers to the first significant financing-round in which a startup raises venture capital after Series Seed funding, typically aimed at scaling proven Product-Market Fit (PMF) and building... - [Series Seed](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/71b226): Series Seed refers to an early-stage priced equity financing-round in which a startup raises institutional capital in exchange for preferred stock. In venture practice, Series Seed generally follows... - [Pre-Seed](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/00dcd2): Pre-Seed refers to the earliest external financing-round for a startup, in which investors provide capital to validate problem–solution fit, assemble a founding team, and begin initial product... - [Valuation](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/93cc9d): A valuation is the estimated or determined market value of a thing. Valuations in venture capital markets, emphasizing that pricing primarily reflects investor supply-and-demand for a limited... - [Daily Active User (DAU)](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/114f17): Daily Active User (DAU) is a metric used to measure the number of individuals who engage with a platform or application on a daily basis. It serves as an indicator of user retention and engagement... - [Monthly Active Users (MAU)](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/65c784): Monthly active users (MAU) is a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) often used by organizations in online gaming, mobile applications, social networking, etc. The MAU is calculated by counting the number... - [Keystone User](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/e3fb3b): A keystone user is a concept in product and community development that highlights the importance of specific individuals who play an outsized role in sustaining or accelerating growth. A keystone... - [Lean Methodology](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/e05afe): Lean methodology is an approach to product development and business strategy that emphasizes efficiency, iteration, and customer feedback. Originating in manufacturing practices and popularized in... - [Revenue Operations (RevOps)](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/218447): Revenue Operations (RevOps) is a business function that aligns sales, marketing, and customer success teams to optimize revenue growth and operational efficiency. It integrates processes, data, and... - [Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/f5c02f): Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) is a financial-metric that estimates the total revenue a business can reasonably expect from a customer over the duration of their relationship. CLV is often calculated... - [Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/bc1a83): Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is a financial-metric that measures the average cost incurred by a company to acquire a new customer. It is calculated by dividing the total expenses related to sales... - [Software as a Service (SaaS)](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/d74754): Software as a Service (SaaS) refers to a model of software delivery in which applications are hosted remotely and made accessible to users over the internet. SaaS eliminates the need for local... - [Lifetime Value (LTV)](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/f19836): Lifetime Value (LTV) is a financial and marketing metric that estimates the total revenue a business can expect from a single customer account throughout the entire duration of their relationship.... - [churn](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/e3bbeb): Churn is the rate at which users cancel subscriptions within a given period, often measured as a percentage of the total customer base. Churn is a central metric in subscription-based and recurring... - [Cap Table](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/3586ad): A capitalization table, or cap table, is a structured record that outlines the ownership stakes, equity dilution, and value of shares in a company. A cap table typically lists all... - [Growth Loop](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/e5afd7): Growth loop describes a cyclical process in which the outputs of one stage directly feed into the inputs of another, creating a self-reinforcing system that accelerates results over time. A growth... - [Climbing](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/5fa4c7): Climbing is a term used to refer to steady increases in revenue, acquisition, and other metrics of growth. Potential equity partners are often best compelled by steady trajectory with interspersing... - [Startup Studio](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/b14c19): A startup studio, also known as a Venture Studio or startup factory, is an organization that builds several companies in succession. This style of business building is referred to as "parallel... - [private equity](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/28a6f2): Private equity refers to a form of investment capital that is raised and invested in privately held companies, typically outside of public stock exchanges. In private equity transactions, investors... - [venture capital](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/5eb864): Venture capital refers to a form of private equity financing provided by investors to startups and small businesses with strong growth potential. These investments typically involve high risk and... - [User Acquisition (UA)](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/391a03): User Acquisition (UA) refers to the process of attracting and converting new users or customers to a product, service, or platform. User acquisition typically encompasses a range of strategies and... - [Techno-Fundamentalism](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/98b82a): Techno-fundamentalism is the belief that one can, and must, invent the next technology to fix the problem caused by the last technology; the idea that every problem will be solved by technological... - [first-party data](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/5c6dd9): First-party data is information that an organization collects directly from its audience, customers, or users through its own channels and interactions. This data is typically gathered via websites,... - [Two-Sided Marketplace](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/a0b95e): A two-sided marketplace is a business-model in which a platform enables interactions and transactions between two distinct user groups, typically buyers and sellers or service providers and... - [Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE)](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/55e545): A simple agreement for future equity (SAFE) is an agreement intended to replace Convertible Notes; addressing their problems while preserving their flexibility. They were created in 2013 by Y... - [iteration](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/14dcbf): iteration | noun | a procedure in which repetition of a sequence of operations yields results successively closer to a desired result. [1] Contexts startup-lexicon - [Convertible Note](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/4f2df5): A convertible note is a form of short-term debt that converts into equity, typically during a future financing round. Rather than repaying the principal with interest, the note allows the holder to... - [Last Mover Advantage](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/01c2f7): Last Mover Advantage refers to the strategic position where a company enters a market after earlier competitors, often benefiting from observing and learning from the mistakes and successes of those... - [Unique Service Proposition (USP)](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/21105d): A unique service proposition (USP) is a concise statement that defines what sets a product, service, or company apart from its competitors. It identifies the specific value or distinct benefit... - [Spiking](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/e3ea6f): Spiking is a term used to refer to rapid increases in revenue, acquisition, and other growth metrics. Where the consistency of Climbing conveys stability, spiking metrics—often cultivated with Viral... - [activation](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/fb3760): A brand activation is the practice of cultivating brand interaction and experiences that drive the action of its consumers. [1] Activations, unlike marketing campaigns, are often ephemeral and aimed... - [pivot](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/2c4ad4): Tags startup-lexicon - [Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/34b0f1): Monthly recurring revenue (MRR) is a key financial metric used to measure the predictable, recurring revenue generated by a business within a given month. It is most commonly applied in... - [Startup Incubator](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/08a713): A startup incubator is an organization designed to support the growth and development of early-stage companies through a range of resources, services, and mentorship. Incubators typically provide... - [bootstrap](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/373a5e): bootstrap | adjective | (of a project) using one's own resources rather than external help. [1] Bootstrapping refers to a self-starting process that is supposed to proceed without external input, a... - [Startup as a Service](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/a9e336): The phrase “Startup as a Service” has crept up here and there across the interwebs over the last decade. In modern entrepreneurship, founders can buy into resources and accelerated growth via... - [Blue Angel](https://staging.mythos.one/me/brianswichkow/bf216e): In the U.S., accelerators are surfacing from Miami to New England; a group “blue angels” are working to make bluetech the next cleantech; S2G Ventures launched a $100M oceans fund; the Sustainable...