Open Coffee Club’s (OCC) third meet happened successfully in Bangalore yesterday. OCC has been getting good amount of traction in Bangalore since the day it kick off.
However, my key aim of writing this post is not to publicize OCC, rather, to ask a straight and simple question. ( This question was asked by one of the associates from OCC, yesterday).
What is a Startup?
My question however, doesn’t end with this, because, today’s startup wont be a startup tomorrow. How do we say or how do we differentiate between a Startup and a mid size company?
Any thoughts?
Cheers,
Vaibhav
http://technofriends.wordpress.com
Latest posts by Vaibhav (see all)
- What is a startup? - September 17, 2007
- Event Notification: Bangalore Open Coffee Club Meet - August 13, 2007
StartUp: You do a lot of sacrifices and enjoy every bit of it.
Unfortunately, for many, the term ‘StartUp’ is directly associated with a ‘well-funded $tartup’
Krish,
Thats the real summation of all. Brilliant . Let me add one from my side to the list(evolving) of yours
When you start with raw passion (90% times to prove some point),turn weird midway, become skeptical of your own self (read solutions/services) and are treading a path to no where, you are “Not to be in business” startup.
Cheers,
Manav Ahuja
http://manavahuja.blogspot.com
Great…those comments above almost cover it well. Now let’s try some segmentation…May I ?
When 100% is owned by you(founder) and your employees, all are charged up, come to work with fresh ideas everyday and hope to beat the best in business, you’re a “budding” startup.
When you start slightly weird, challenge established on-premise solutions and try putting them in the cloud and sell it on-demand with economics just a tenth to the customers, you’re an “envied” startup. Enterprise vendors hate you.
When other smaller players slink under your radar and don’t even count as competition, you’re a “headstrong” startup. You count only Googles, Microsofts, Oracles, Adobes of the world as competition.
When you do your homework well, get the picture right, develop solutions that fit perfectly with other existing front and backends, project a picture of utility and full value, you are an “intelligent” startup.
When suitors comes along, offer up deals that enable many people to cash in stock options, you are a “lusty” startup.
When you don’t accept the offer terms, wait for a bigger valuation and let new nimble players sprout all around, steamroll you and drive you out of business, you are a “bumbling” startup.
When the buyout offer comes along, you stick to your instincts, don’t sell out, focus on enterprise growth and achieve it, treble your valuations at IPO, you’re Jesus H Christ 🙂
A startup is a company where most functions are managed/owned by the founders. Hiving off functions to professional managers is a sign that the startup phase is over and growth phase is on.
I would term a startup -till the founders and cofounders of the company think that they have added almost every feather of their imagination of the vision with which they started the venture.