Key Startup Terms Explained
Essential terminology you need to understand Startup news. Each term is explained in plain language with context for how it appears in current reporting.
Series A/B/C
Successive rounds of venture capital funding as a company grows
Unicorn
A privately held startup valued at over $1 billion
Burn Rate
The rate at which a startup spends cash before generating positive cash flow
Cap Table
Capitalization table showing ownership percentages and equity dilution
Product-Market Fit
The degree to which a product satisfies strong market demand
Stay Informed
These terms appear frequently in Startup reporting. Bookmark this page as a quick reference when reading our latest intelligence briefs.
Terms are sourced from stories that clear our classification pipeline at a minimum 35 percent relevance threshold. According to that methodology, reviewed July 2026, this follows multi-source corroboration standards recommended by journalism research bodies such as the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.