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Starting A Company? The Key Terms You Should Know | Startup School

From Y Combinator · Published Jul 20, 2025 · Watch on YouTube

TL;DR

Dalton from Y Combinator defines 14 common startup terms: MVP, venture capital, angel investor, profitability, burn rate, seed round, Series A/B/C, product market fit, bootstrapping, convertible note, safe note/SAFE, equity/stock options, TAM, valuation, IPO, and ARR/MRR.

Key insights

  • MVP must be viable – a product that does nothing is not viable; it must serve a useful purpose for a customer.
  • Venture capital operates on a portfolio model: most investments fail, but the big winners pay for all losses (e.g., early Google, Apple, Facebook).
  • Angel investors invest personal money, not from a VC fund, typically write small checks ($20k–$50k), and do it as a hobby or side project.

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