The point at which total revenue equals total costs — and the analytical process used to determine how much revenue a business must generate to cover all its expenses and …

Burn rate is the speed at which a startup spends its cash; runway is how long the company can operate before running out of money — together they are the …

A one-page strategic framework with nine building blocks that maps how a business creates, delivers, and captures value — used by startups to design, test, and communicate their business model.

A capitalization table is a record showing who owns what equity in a startup — including founders, investors, and employees — and how ownership changes with each funding round.

A convertible note is a form of short-term debt that converts into equity at a future funding round, typically at a discount or valuation cap, rather than being repaid in …

The total cost incurred to acquire one new paying customer, including all sales and marketing expenses divided by the number of new customers acquired in a given period.

The total gross profit a business expects to generate from a single customer over the entire duration of their relationship — a core metric for evaluating business model health and …

Due diligence is the investigative process an investor conducts before finalising an investment, covering a startup's financials, legal structure, technology, team, market, and business model.

Equity dilution is the reduction in an existing shareholder's ownership percentage that occurs when a company issues new shares — whether through funding rounds, option grants, or convertible instrument conversions.

A startup exit is the event through which founders and investors realise the financial value of their equity, primarily through acquisition, IPO, or secondary share sale.

A business model where a basic version of a product is offered free of charge, with revenue generated from a subset of users who pay for premium features, higher usage …

The percentage of revenue remaining after deducting the direct costs of producing and delivering a product or service — a fundamental measure of business efficiency and a key input to …

A lead investor is the primary investor in a funding round who sets the terms, conducts due diligence, and often takes a board seat. Co-investors follow the lead's terms and …

The ratio of Customer Lifetime Value to Customer Acquisition Cost — a fundamental measure of business model health that indicates how much value a business generates relative to the cost …

An option pool (or ESOP) is a block of equity set aside from a startup's total shares to be granted to employees, advisors, and early contributors as compensation and a …

Pre-money valuation is what your company is worth before an investment; post-money valuation is the value after the investment is added. The distinction determines how much equity an investor receives.

The method a business uses to set the price of its products or services — one of the highest-leverage decisions in a startup, directly affecting revenue, positioning, unit economics, and …

Product-market fit (PMF) is when your product satisfies strong market demand, evidenced by organic growth, high retention, and customers who can't live without your product.

Pro-rata rights give an existing investor the option — but not the obligation — to participate in a future funding round to maintain their ownership percentage and avoid being diluted …

The strategy a business uses to generate income from its products or services — defining who pays, how much, how often, and in exchange for what value.

A Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) is a financing instrument that gives investors the right to receive equity in a future priced round, without setting an immediate valuation or …

Startup funding rounds are structured stages of investment — from pre-seed through Series C and beyond — each representing a different phase of company development, risk profile, and investor expectation.

A revenue model where customers pay a recurring fee — typically monthly or annually — for ongoing access to a product or service, creating predictable, compounding revenue that is highly …

A non-binding document outlining the key terms and conditions of a proposed investment between a startup and an investor, serving as the foundation for final legal agreements.

Startup investors range from individual angels to institutional venture capital firms, each with different check sizes, investment thesis, value-add, and expectations from portfolio companies.

The direct revenues and costs associated with a single unit of a business — typically one customer — used to determine whether the core business model is fundamentally profitable at …