# Revolutionary Startups > In-depth startup guides, a 70-term startup glossary, intellectual property basics for founders, and a startup directory with free (one random throw a day) and Promoted (paid, labeled) listings. Owned, operated and sponsored by Wysebridge Patent Bar Review (https://wysebridge.com/). Everything here is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Articles are written answer-first, reviewed 11 November 2026, and cite primary sources (USPTO, SBA, IRS, U.S. Copyright Office) where relevant. A complete plain-text copy of the site is at https://revolutionarystartups.com/llms-full.txt. ## Startup Funding and Capital - [How to Raise Capital for a Startup: Options and Steps](https://revolutionarystartups.com/want-to-raise-capital-for-your-startup/): How to raise capital for a startup: the main types of funding, how to get funded with no revenue, how much to raise, and the steps from first check to close. - [Startup Funding Stages: Pre-Seed to Series C Explained](https://revolutionarystartups.com/startup-funding-stages/): Startup funding stages explained in plain English: pre-seed, seed and Series A, B and C, what each round is for, what investors expect and how rounds are sized. - [SAFE vs Convertible Note: Which Is Better for Founders?](https://revolutionarystartups.com/safe-vs-convertible-note/): SAFE vs convertible note explained: how each works, valuation caps, discounts, interest and maturity, with a worked example and the trade-offs for founders. - [How to Value a Startup: Methods for Pre-Revenue Companies](https://revolutionarystartups.com/how-to-value-a-startup/): How to value a startup before it has revenue: common methods, pre-money vs post-money, and a worked dilution example with round numbers you can follow. - [How to Split Equity Between Co-Founders (and Vesting)](https://revolutionarystartups.com/startup-equity-split-co-founders/): How to split equity between co-founders: factors to weigh, equal vs unequal splits, 4-year vesting with a 1-year cliff, and a worked example with round numbers. - [Pitch Deck Outline: What to Include, Slide by Slide](https://revolutionarystartups.com/how-to-write-a-pitch-deck/): A pitch deck outline for first-time founders: what goes on each slide, how to order them, seed pitch deck tips and the mistakes that sink an investor deck. - [Bootstrapping vs Venture Capital: How to Choose](https://revolutionarystartups.com/bootstrapping-vs-venture-capital/): Bootstrapping vs venture capital explained: how each works, what you give up, worked examples, and how to decide which path fits your startup. - [Startup Grants: How to Find Real Free Money](https://revolutionarystartups.com/startup-grants-and-free-money/): Startup grants explained honestly: what exists, who qualifies, how SBIR works at a high level, how to search, and how to spot grant scams before you pay. - [Accelerator vs Incubator: Differences and How to Choose](https://revolutionarystartups.com/accelerators-vs-incubators/): Accelerator vs incubator explained: what each does, how accelerators take equity, who each suits, and how to decide whether you need one at all. - [Startup Budget: How to Build One and Find Your Runway](https://revolutionarystartups.com/business-startup-budget/): Create a startup budget step by step: costs checklist, monthly expenses, a runway formula with worked numbers, and what it really costs to start a business. ## Starting a Startup - [What Is a Startup? Definition, Stages and Examples](https://revolutionarystartups.com/what-is-a-startup/): What is a startup? A plain-English definition, how a startup differs from a small business, the stages of a startup, and whether every new company counts. - [How to Start a Startup: A Step-by-Step Roadmap](https://revolutionarystartups.com/how-to-start-a-startup-step-by-step/): How to start a startup step by step: validate the idea, pick a structure, build an MVP, handle legal basics, fund it and get customers, even with a day job. - [How to Validate a Startup Idea Before You Build](https://revolutionarystartups.com/how-to-validate-a-startup-idea/): How to validate a startup idea before you build it: customer interviews, a question bank, landing page tests, and a checklist for deciding whether to go ahead. - [How to Find a Co-Founder and Know If They Fit](https://revolutionarystartups.com/how-to-find-a-co-founder/): How to find a co-founder: do you need one, where to look, how to test the fit, solo founder vs co-founder, and the red flags that should make you walk away. - [How to Name Your Startup: A Practical Guide](https://revolutionarystartups.com/how-to-name-your-startup/): How to name your startup: what makes a good name, how to brainstorm, check if a business name is taken, pick a domain, trademark basics and mistakes to avoid. - [LLC vs C Corp for Startups: How to Choose](https://revolutionarystartups.com/llc-vs-c-corp-for-startups/): LLC vs C corp for startups: how each is taxed, what investors expect, why Delaware is common, and what to ask your lawyer and accountant before you file. - [How to Build an MVP: A Step-by-Step Guide](https://revolutionarystartups.com/how-to-build-an-mvp/): How to build an MVP step by step: define the one problem, cut features, pick no-code or code, set a timeline, and test with real users before you spend more. - [How to Write a Business Plan: Template and Steps](https://revolutionarystartups.com/how-to-write-a-business-plan/): How to write a business plan for a startup: a section-by-section template, a lean one-page version, and what changes when the reader is an investor or a bank. - [Low Cost Business Ideas: 14 Cheap Businesses to Start](https://revolutionarystartups.com/low-cost-business-startup-ideas/): Low cost business ideas with who pays, what they cost to start and your first step, plus a cheap way to test any business idea before you spend. - [Business Ideas With No Money: How to Start From Zero](https://revolutionarystartups.com/small-business-ideas-that-require-zero-investment/): Business ideas with no money: service-first models you can sell before you spend, how to get paid in advance, and the paperwork you still cannot skip. - [Mistakes New Entrepreneurs Make (and How to Avoid Them)](https://revolutionarystartups.com/common-mistakes-of-a-novice-entrepreneur/): The mistakes new entrepreneurs make most often, from building before selling to mixing money, with cheap fixes and a checklist for your first 90 days. ## Running a Startup - [Startup Legal Checklist: What to Handle Early](https://revolutionarystartups.com/startup-legal-checklist/): Startup legal checklist for first-time founders: entity, founder agreements, IP, EIN, licenses, contracts and privacy. A starting point for an attorney talk. - [Startup Metrics That Matter: MRR, Churn, CAC and LTV](https://revolutionarystartups.com/startup-metrics-that-matter/): Startup metrics explained in plain English: MRR, ARR, churn, CAC, LTV and more, with formulas in words, worked examples, and what investors ask for. - [First Years of a Startup: How to Survive and Grow](https://revolutionarystartups.com/how-to-get-startup-through-first-few-years-of-business/): A practical guide to the first years of a startup: a first-year checklist, survival tips, how to keep a startup alive on limited cash, and what to expect. - [Biggest Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make After Gaining Traction](https://revolutionarystartups.com/biggest-mistakes-entrepreneurs-make/): The biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make after the first sales: scaling too early, cash blind spots, bad hires and why experienced founders still fail. ## Startup Growth and Customers - [How to Find Product Market Fit: Signs and Tests](https://revolutionarystartups.com/how-to-find-product-market-fit/): How to find product market fit and know when you have it: signs to watch, a simple survey, how long it takes, and what to do if the signs are not there yet. - [How to Get First Customers: 10, then 100, Without a Budget](https://revolutionarystartups.com/how-to-get-first-customers/): How to get first customers for your startup: find early adopters, run cold outreach, do things that don't scale, and reach 10 then 100 with little or no money. - [Startup Growth Hacks: Early-Stage Tactics and Metrics](https://revolutionarystartups.com/growth-hacks-to-exponentially-grow-your-startup/): Startup growth hacks for early-stage teams: referral program ideas, content, partnerships, experiments, and how to measure startup growth honestly. ## Protecting Your Startup - [Startup Lifecycle Stages: Idea to Exit, Explained](https://revolutionarystartups.com/startup-lifecycle-stages/): Startup lifecycle stages explained: Idea, Build, Launch, Raise, Grow and Exit, with the goals, risks, what to build and what to protect at each stage. - [How to Protect Your Startup Before Launch: A Playbook](https://revolutionarystartups.com/zero-to-launch-ip-playbook/): How to protect your startup before launch: a phase by phase IP playbook covering names, domains, agreements, NDAs, patents, notices, terms and launch day. - [Startup IP Audit Checklist: Find Gaps in 90 Minutes](https://revolutionarystartups.com/startup-ip-audit-checklist/): Practical IP audit checklist for startups: inventory names, code, inventions, data, content, agreements and open source, with scoring and a 90 minute workflow. - [How to Protect Your Startup Brand: Domains and Handles](https://revolutionarystartups.com/domain-names-and-brand-protection-for-startups/): How to protect your startup brand: the order to search a name, register the domain, claim handles, form the entity and file a trademark. - [Employee Invention Assignment Agreements for Startups](https://revolutionarystartups.com/employee-and-contractor-ip-agreements/): Employee invention assignment agreement basics: what employees, contractors and interns sign on day one so your startup owns the IP they create. - [NDA for Startups: When to Sign and When to Skip](https://revolutionarystartups.com/nda-for-startups-when-to-sign/): NDA for startups explained: clause by clause, when to ask for one, when not to, who to ask, mutual vs one-way, how long it should last, and a decision table. - [How to Protect Your Startup Idea When Pitching](https://revolutionarystartups.com/protecting-your-startup-idea-when-pitching/): How to protect your startup idea when pitching: what the law protects, why investors skip NDAs, staged disclosure, and what to keep out of a pitch deck. - [Types of Patents for Startups: Utility, Design, Plant](https://revolutionarystartups.com/types-of-patents-for-startups/): Types of patents explained for founders: utility, design and plant patents, plus provisional vs non-provisional, with a table showing which fits your product. - [Patent Process for Startups: Step by Step](https://revolutionarystartups.com/patent-process-for-startups/): The patent process for startups step by step: invention disclosure, prior art search, provisional, non-provisional, office actions, allowance and maintenance. - [TM vs Registered Trademark Symbol: When to Use Each](https://revolutionarystartups.com/trademark-copyright-and-patent-notices/): TM vs registered trademark symbol, copyright notice format and what patent pending means: who may use each, when, and the risks of misuse. - [Open Source Licenses for Startups: A Practical Guide](https://revolutionarystartups.com/open-source-licenses-for-startups/): Open source licenses for startups explained: permissive vs copyleft, MIT vs Apache vs GPL, what triggers obligations, license scanning and investor diligence. - [IP Licensing for Startups: Key Terms and Deal Checklist](https://revolutionarystartups.com/licensing-startup-ip-basics/): IP licensing for startups: licensing out and in, exclusive vs non-exclusive, royalty vs flat fee, field of use, key terms and a deal checklist. - [IP Ownership in a Partnership: Joint Development Guide](https://revolutionarystartups.com/joint-development-and-partnership-ip/): IP ownership in a partnership: background vs foreground IP, joint development agreements, co-owned patent risks and a larger-partner checklist. - [International IP Protection for Startups: A First Guide](https://revolutionarystartups.com/international-ip-protection-for-startups/): International IP protection for startups: PCT patent filings, the Paris Convention priority year, Madrid trademarks, and when to go global with your IP. - [Freedom to Operate: Infringement Risk for Startups](https://revolutionarystartups.com/freedom-to-operate-and-infringement-risk/): Freedom to operate explained for founders: why owning a patent is not enough, how clearance searches work, and what to do if a cease and desist letter arrives. - [How to Find an IP Attorney for Your Startup](https://revolutionarystartups.com/how-to-find-an-ip-attorney-for-your-startup/): How to find an IP attorney for your startup: trademark attorney vs patent attorney vs patent agent, how fees work, how to vet them, questions to ask, red flags. - [How IP Affects Startup Valuation: What Investors Weigh](https://revolutionarystartups.com/ip-and-startup-valuation/): How IP affects startup valuation: what investors and buyers check (ownership, scope, defensibility), what moves confidence, and how to show IP in a data room. - [Startup Moat: What It Is and How to Build One](https://revolutionarystartups.com/startup-moats-and-defensibility/): What a startup moat is, the main kinds (network effects, switching costs, data, brand, IP), and an honest way to judge how defensible your company really is. - [IP Deadlines for Startups: A Year-by-Year Calendar](https://revolutionarystartups.com/startup-ip-deadlines-calendar/): IP deadlines for startups in one calendar: provisional patent 12 months, one year grace period, trademark filings, copyright timing, domains and assignments. - [Terms of Service and Privacy Policy for Startups](https://revolutionarystartups.com/terms-of-service-and-privacy-policy-for-startups/): Terms of service for a startup and privacy policy basics: what each document does, key clauses in plain English, GDPR and CCPA basics, and why not to copy. - [What Happens to IP When a Startup Shuts Down or Sells](https://revolutionarystartups.com/what-happens-to-ip-when-you-sell-or-shut-down/): What happens to IP when a startup shuts down or sells: asset vs stock sales, IP representations and warranties, what buyers check, and a wind-down checklist. ## Entrepreneurship Fundamentals - [Characteristics of Entrepreneurship: Traits and Mindset](https://revolutionarystartups.com/characteristics-of-entrepreneurship/): The characteristics of entrepreneurship and the traits of a successful entrepreneur, explained plainly, with how to build each one and a self-check. - [Importance of Entrepreneurship: Why It Matters](https://revolutionarystartups.com/importance-of-entrepreneurship/): Why entrepreneurship is important: new jobs, new products, competition, local growth and personal independence, plus the real limits and risks to keep in mind. - [Types of Entrepreneurship: Small Business to Startup](https://revolutionarystartups.com/types-of-entrepreneurship/): The main types of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs, small business vs startup, lifestyle vs scalable, and social ventures, with how to pick the right fit. - [Why Startups Fail: Common Reasons and How to Avoid Them](https://revolutionarystartups.com/common-reasons-why-startups-fail/): Why startups fail: no market need, running out of cash, team conflict, poor timing and weak sales. Learn the warning signs and how to avoid startup failure. ## Startup lifecycle A to Z - [Startup lifecycle A to Z (hub)](https://revolutionarystartups.com/lifecycle/): twenty-six guides on building and protecting a startup from idea to exit - [A: IP Assignment Agreements for Startups Explained](https://revolutionarystartups.com/ip/ip-assignment-agreements-for-startups/): Make sure the company, not a founder or freelancer, owns what gets built. - [B: How to Trademark a Business Name: Startup Guide](https://revolutionarystartups.com/ip/trademark-your-startup-name/): Search, choose and protect the name before you build a brand on it. - [C: Copyright for Software Startups: What It Covers](https://revolutionarystartups.com/ip/copyright-for-software-startups/): What copyright covers in software, and how contractors and open source change it. - [D: How to Protect Your Startup Brand: Domains and Handles](https://revolutionarystartups.com/domain-names-and-brand-protection-for-startups/): Secure the domain, handles and look-alikes that match your brand. - [E: Employee Invention Assignment Agreements for Startups](https://revolutionarystartups.com/employee-and-contractor-ip-agreements/): The agreements every hire and freelancer should sign before they touch the product. - [F: IP Due Diligence for Startups Before Fundraising](https://revolutionarystartups.com/ip/protect-ip-before-fundraising/): What investors check about your IP, and how to be ready. - [G: International IP Protection for Startups: A First Guide](https://revolutionarystartups.com/international-ip-protection-for-startups/): Protecting a name and an invention outside the United States. - [H: How to Find an IP Attorney for Your Startup](https://revolutionarystartups.com/how-to-find-an-ip-attorney-for-your-startup/): Trademark attorney, patent attorney or agent: who to hire and how to check them. - [I: How to Protect Your Startup Idea When Pitching](https://revolutionarystartups.com/protecting-your-startup-idea-when-pitching/): What can and cannot be protected when you share an idea with investors and partners. - [J: IP Ownership in a Partnership: Joint Development Guide](https://revolutionarystartups.com/joint-development-and-partnership-ip/): Who owns what when you build something with another company. - [K: Trade Secrets for Startups: NDAs and Secrecy Steps](https://revolutionarystartups.com/ip/trade-secrets-and-ndas-for-startups/): Keep your formulas, code and customer data secret, legally. - [L: IP Licensing for Startups: Key Terms and Deal Checklist](https://revolutionarystartups.com/licensing-startup-ip-basics/): Letting others use your IP, or using theirs, on clear terms. - [M: TM vs Registered Trademark Symbol: When to Use Each](https://revolutionarystartups.com/trademark-copyright-and-patent-notices/): When to use TM, the registered mark, the copyright notice and patent pending. - [N: NDA for Startups: When to Sign and When to Skip](https://revolutionarystartups.com/nda-for-startups-when-to-sign/): When an NDA helps, when it is a waste, and what to look for in one. - [O: Open Source Licenses for Startups: A Practical Guide](https://revolutionarystartups.com/open-source-licenses-for-startups/): Use open source code without accidentally giving your product away. - [P: Patent Process for Startups: Step by Step](https://revolutionarystartups.com/patent-process-for-startups/): From invention disclosure to a granted patent, step by step. - [Q: Startup IP Audit Checklist: Find Gaps in 90 Minutes](https://revolutionarystartups.com/startup-ip-audit-checklist/): A checklist to find IP gaps before an investor or buyer does. - [R: Freedom to Operate: Infringement Risk for Startups](https://revolutionarystartups.com/freedom-to-operate-and-infringement-risk/): How to check that your product does not step on someone else's rights. - [S: Startup Lifecycle Stages: Idea to Exit, Explained](https://revolutionarystartups.com/startup-lifecycle-stages/): Idea to exit: what to do, and what to protect, at each stage. - [T: Terms of Service and Privacy Policy for Startups](https://revolutionarystartups.com/terms-of-service-and-privacy-policy-for-startups/): The customer-facing legal documents that protect your product and your users. - [U: Types of Patents for Startups: Utility, Design, Plant](https://revolutionarystartups.com/types-of-patents-for-startups/): Which kind of patent fits which kind of invention. - [V: How IP Affects Startup Valuation: What Investors Weigh](https://revolutionarystartups.com/ip-and-startup-valuation/): How your IP portfolio changes how investors and buyers see the company. - [W: What Happens to IP When a Startup Shuts Down or Sells](https://revolutionarystartups.com/what-happens-to-ip-when-you-sell-or-shut-down/): What happens to your IP in an acquisition or a shutdown. - [X: Startup Moat: What It Is and How to Build One](https://revolutionarystartups.com/startup-moats-and-defensibility/): What actually makes a startup hard to copy, beyond patents. - [Y: IP Deadlines for Startups: A Year-by-Year Calendar](https://revolutionarystartups.com/startup-ip-deadlines-calendar/): The dates that quietly cost founders their rights. - [Z: How to Protect Your Startup Before Launch: A Playbook](https://revolutionarystartups.com/zero-to-launch-ip-playbook/): A protect-as-you-build playbook from first idea to public launch. ## IP for founders - [Provisional Patent Application: A Startup Guide](https://revolutionarystartups.com/ip/provisional-patent-for-startups/): How a provisional patent application works for startups: the 12-month deadline, what it protects, patent pending meaning, and provisional vs nonprovisional. - [How to Trademark a Business Name: Startup Guide](https://revolutionarystartups.com/ip/trademark-your-startup-name/): How to trademark a business name: search first, pick the right classes, file with the USPTO, and see how a trademark differs from an LLC name registration. - [IP Due Diligence for Startups Before Fundraising](https://revolutionarystartups.com/ip/protect-ip-before-fundraising/): IP due diligence for startups: what investors ask about IP, a practical checklist, and why founder IP assignment should come before funding. - [Patent Attorney vs Patent Agent for a Startup](https://revolutionarystartups.com/ip/patent-attorney-or-agent-for-startups/): Patent attorney vs patent agent: what each can do, how costs differ, how to hire one for your startup, and how to verify a practitioner on the USPTO roster. - [Patent vs Trade Secret: Which Fits Your Startup?](https://revolutionarystartups.com/ip/patent-vs-trade-secret-for-startups/): Patent vs trade secret for startups: how each works, how long they last, the patent disclosure requirement, and how to decide, including for software. - [Copyright for Software Startups: What It Covers](https://revolutionarystartups.com/ip/copyright-for-software-startups/): Copyright for software explained for founders: what source code protection covers, when to register, work made for hire, and open source basics. - [Trade Secrets for Startups: NDAs and Secrecy Steps](https://revolutionarystartups.com/ip/trade-secrets-and-ndas-for-startups/): Trade secrets for startups: what qualifies, what reasonable secrecy measures look like, when to use an NDA, and whether investors will sign one. - [Do I Need a Patent for My App? A Founder's Guide](https://revolutionarystartups.com/ip/do-i-need-a-patent-for-my-app/): Do I need a patent for my app? Learn what software patents cover, why eligibility is a hard question, and what protects an app without one. - [IP Assignment Agreements for Startups Explained](https://revolutionarystartups.com/ip/ip-assignment-agreements-for-startups/): IP assignment agreement basics for startups: founder IP assignment, invention assignment for employees, contractor IP ownership and what to include. ## Glossary - [Startup glossary: all 70 terms](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/): definitions, examples and related guides - [409A Valuation](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/409a-valuation/): A 409A valuation is an independent appraisal of the fair market value of a private company's common stock, used to set the exercise price of stock options. - [Accelerator](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/accelerator/): An accelerator is a fixed-length program, often a few months, that gives startups mentoring, connections and sometimes funding, usually in exchange for equity. - [Acquisition](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/acquisition/): An acquisition is when one company buys another, either by purchasing its shares or its assets, usually giving the owners cash, stock or both. - [Advisory Board](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/advisory-board/): An advisory board is a group of outside experts who give a startup guidance and introductions, usually for a small equity grant, without the legal duties of a board of directors. - [Angel Investor](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/angel-investor/): An angel investor is an individual who invests their own money in an early-stage startup, usually in exchange for equity or a convertible instrument. - [ARR](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/arr/): ARR, or annual recurring revenue, is the yearly value of a company's recurring subscription revenue, usually monthly recurring revenue times twelve. - [B2B](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/b2b/): B2B, or business-to-business, describes a company whose customers are other businesses rather than individual consumers. - [B2C](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/b2c/): B2C, or business-to-consumer, describes a company that sells its products or services directly to individual consumers. - [Bootstrapping](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/bootstrapping/): Bootstrapping means building a company with your own savings and the revenue it earns, instead of raising money from outside investors. - [Break-Even Point](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/break-even-point/): The break-even point is the level of sales at which a business's total revenue equals its total costs, so it makes neither a profit nor a loss. - [Bridge Round](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/bridge-round/): A bridge round is a smaller, short-term financing that carries a company to its next major round, or to a sale, when its current cash is running low. - [Burn Rate](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/burn-rate/): Burn rate is the amount of cash a startup spends each month more than it brings in, usually measured monthly. - [C Corporation](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/c-corporation/): A C corporation is a separate legal entity owned by shareholders and taxed on its own income, and it is the structure most venture-backed US startups use. - [Cap Table](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/cap-table/): A cap table is a record of who owns what in a company: every shareholder, option holder and convertible holder, with their share counts and percentages. - [Churn Rate](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/churn-rate/): Churn rate is the percentage of customers, or recurring revenue, a business loses over a given period, such as a month. - [Cliff](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/cliff/): A cliff is an initial waiting period in a vesting schedule during which no equity vests, after which a lump of it vests all at once. - [Co-Founder](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/co-founder/): A co-founder is a person who starts a company alongside others, sharing the risk, the early work and, typically, ownership and major decisions. - [Convertible Note](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/convertible-note/): A convertible note is short-term debt that investors lend to a startup, which converts into equity at a later round instead of being repaid in cash. - [Copyright](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/copyright/): Copyright is legal protection for original works of authorship, such as writing, art, music and software code, that arises automatically once the work is fixed in a tangible form. - [Crowdfunding](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/crowdfunding/): Crowdfunding raises small amounts of money from many people, usually online, either as pre-orders and rewards or, in equity crowdfunding, as ownership in the company. - [Customer Acquisition Cost](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/customer-acquisition-cost/): Customer acquisition cost (CAC) is the average amount a business spends on sales and marketing to win one new customer. - [Dilution](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/dilution/): Dilution is the drop in an existing owner's percentage of a company when new shares are issued to someone else. - [Down Round](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/down-round/): A down round is a financing in which a company sells shares at a lower valuation than in its previous round, often diluting existing owners more than expected. - [Due Diligence](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/due-diligence/): Due diligence is the investigation an investor or buyer does before closing a deal, checking that a company's claims, records, contracts and finances are accurate. - [Equity](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/equity/): Equity is ownership in a company, usually held as shares of stock, and it entitles the holder to a portion of the company's value. - [Exit Strategy](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/exit-strategy/): An exit strategy is a plan for how founders and investors will eventually turn their ownership into value, such as through a sale, merger or public offering. - [Founders' Agreement](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/founders-agreement/): A founders' agreement is a contract among co-founders that sets out ownership, roles, decision-making, vesting and what happens if someone leaves. - [Freemium](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/freemium/): Freemium is a pricing model that offers a basic version of a product for free and charges for premium features, higher limits or extra services. - [Go-to-Market Strategy](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/go-to-market-strategy/): A go-to-market strategy is the plan for how a company will reach its first customers, convince them to buy, and deliver the product, including who it targets, pricing and channels. - [Gross Margin](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/gross-margin/): Gross margin is the share of revenue left after subtracting the direct costs of delivering a product or service, shown as a percentage. - [Growth Hacking](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/growth-hacking/): Growth hacking is the practice of running many quick, low-cost experiments across marketing, product and sales to find repeatable ways of gaining customers. - [Incubator](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/incubator/): An incubator is an organization that supports early-stage ideas and founders with space, guidance and resources over a flexible period, often at low or no cost. - [IP Assignment](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/ip-assignment/): An IP assignment is a written agreement that transfers ownership of intellectual property, such as inventions, code or designs, from a person to a company. - [IPO](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/ipo/): An IPO, or initial public offering, is when a private company first sells shares to the public on a stock exchange. - [Lead Investor](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/lead-investor/): A lead investor is the main investor in a funding round, who sets the valuation and key terms, usually invests the largest amount, and draws other investors in. - [Lean Startup](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/lean-startup/): The lean startup is an approach to building new businesses through short cycles of building, measuring and learning, so you test assumptions cheaply before committing big resources. - [Lifetime Value](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/lifetime-value/): Lifetime value (LTV) is the total gross profit a business expects to earn from a customer over the whole time they keep buying. - [Liquidation Preference](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/liquidation-preference/): A liquidation preference is an investor right to be paid back first, before common shareholders, when a company is sold or wound down. - [LLC](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/llc/): A limited liability company is a US business structure that separates the owners' personal assets from the business's debts and is usually taxed as a pass-through. - [MRR](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/mrr/): MRR, or monthly recurring revenue, is the predictable revenue a business expects to earn each month from subscriptions or ongoing contracts. - [MVP (Minimum Viable Product)](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/mvp/): An MVP is the simplest version of a product that real users can use, built to test whether the core idea solves a real problem before you invest in the full thing. - [NDA](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/nda/): A non-disclosure agreement is a contract in which one or both parties promise to keep specified information confidential and to use it only for a stated purpose. - [North Star Metric](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/north-star-metric/): A north star metric is the single number that best captures the value customers get from your product, used to keep the whole team aimed at long-term growth. - [Operating Agreement](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/operating-agreement/): An operating agreement is the governing document of an LLC that sets out ownership, management, profit sharing and what happens when members join, leave or disagree. - [Patent Pending](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/patent-pending/): Patent pending means a patent application has been filed for an invention but no patent has been granted, so it gives notice but no enforceable patent rights yet. - [Pitch Deck](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/pitch-deck/): A pitch deck is a short slide presentation that explains a startup's problem, solution, market, traction and funding ask to investors. - [Pivot](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/pivot/): A pivot is a deliberate, significant change in a startup's strategy, product, customer or business model, made because evidence shows the current path is not working. - [Post-Money Valuation](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/post-money-valuation/): Post-money valuation is a company's value immediately after a round, equal to the pre-money valuation plus the new money invested. - [Pre-Money Valuation](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/pre-money-valuation/): Pre-money valuation is what a company is agreed to be worth before a new round of investment money is added. - [Pre-Seed Funding](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/pre-seed-funding/): Pre-seed funding is the earliest outside money a startup raises, commonly from founders' networks, angels or small funds, to test an idea and build a first version. - [Prior Art](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/prior-art/): Prior art is any evidence that an invention was already known, published, used or sold before a patent application's effective filing date, and it can block a patent. - [Pro Rata Rights](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/pro-rata-rights/): Pro rata rights let an investor buy enough shares in a future round to keep their ownership percentage from shrinking. - [Product-Market Fit](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/product-market-fit/): Product-market fit means a product satisfies a real, sizable demand in a market, so customers keep using it and new ones arrive without constant pushing. - [Provisional Patent Application](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/provisional-patent-application/): A provisional patent application is a US filing that gives an inventor a filing date and 12 months to file a regular application, but it never becomes a patent on its own. - [Runway](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/runway/): Runway is how many months a startup can keep operating before its cash runs out, at its current rate of spending. - [SaaS](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/saas/): SaaS, or software as a service, is software that customers use over the internet by subscription instead of buying and installing it themselves. - [SAFE](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/safe/): A SAFE, or Simple Agreement for Future Equity, lets an investor give a startup money now in exchange for shares later, usually at the next priced round. - [Seed Funding](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/seed-funding/): Seed funding is an early round of investment, commonly after a first product exists, used to find a repeatable way to acquire customers and build the team. - [Series A Funding](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/series-a-funding/): Series A is typically a company's first large venture round, raised once there is real traction, to scale a business model that is already starting to work. - [Startup Ecosystem](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/startup-ecosystem/): A startup ecosystem is the network of founders, investors, mentors, universities, service providers and programs in a place that helps new companies form and grow. - [Stock Option Pool](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/stock-option-pool/): A stock option pool is a block of company shares set aside to grant to current and future employees, advisors and contractors. - [TAM, SAM and SOM](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/tam-sam-som/): TAM, SAM and SOM are three nested ways to size a market: total demand, the part your product could serve, and the realistic share you can capture soon. - [Term Sheet](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/term-sheet/): A term sheet is a short, usually non-binding document that outlines the main terms of an investment, such as valuation, amount, and investor rights, before full contracts are drafted. - [Trade Secret](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/trade-secret/): A trade secret is confidential business information that has value because it is secret and that its owner takes reasonable steps to keep secret. - [Trademark](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/trademark/): A trademark is a word, name, logo or other mark that identifies the source of goods or services, with rights that arise from use and can be strengthened by registration. - [Unicorn](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/unicorn/): A unicorn is a privately held startup valued at $1 billion or more. The term describes a rare outcome, not a goal every company should chase. - [Unit Economics](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/unit-economics/): Unit economics measures the revenue and cost of a single customer or sale, to show whether the business makes money on each one. - [Utility Patent](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/utility-patent/): A utility patent protects a new, useful and non-obvious process, machine, manufacture or composition of matter, and generally lasts 20 years from the filing date. - [Venture Capital](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/venture-capital/): Venture capital is money pooled from outside investors into a fund, which a firm invests in young companies with high growth potential in exchange for equity. - [Vesting](https://revolutionarystartups.com/glossary/vesting/): Vesting is the schedule over which someone earns full ownership of their shares or options, typically through continued service over several years. ## Directory - [Startup directory](https://revolutionarystartups.com/directory/): reviewed startup listings by category - [Software and SaaS](https://revolutionarystartups.com/directory/c/software/) - [AI and data](https://revolutionarystartups.com/directory/c/ai/) - [Fintech](https://revolutionarystartups.com/directory/c/fintech/) - [Health and wellness](https://revolutionarystartups.com/directory/c/health/) - [E-commerce and retail](https://revolutionarystartups.com/directory/c/ecommerce/) - [Education](https://revolutionarystartups.com/directory/c/education/) - [Consumer apps](https://revolutionarystartups.com/directory/c/consumer/) - [Hardware and devices](https://revolutionarystartups.com/directory/c/hardware/) - [Services and agencies](https://revolutionarystartups.com/directory/c/services/) - [Other](https://revolutionarystartups.com/directory/c/other/) - [Submit your startup](https://revolutionarystartups.com/submit/): one free throw a day or a Promoted listing ($9 setup + $0.99/month) - [The arcade](https://revolutionarystartups.com/play/): a free retro banana game that never counts toward a listing - [The 20 fates](https://revolutionarystartups.com/fates/): the rejection animations ## Company - [About](https://revolutionarystartups.com/about/) - [Terms of Service](https://revolutionarystartups.com/terms/) - [Privacy Policy](https://revolutionarystartups.com/privacy/) - [Advertising and ownership disclosure](https://revolutionarystartups.com/disclosure/) - [Contact](https://revolutionarystartups.com/contact/) ## Sponsor and further reading (Wysebridge owns and sponsors this site) - [Wysebridge patent law guide](https://wysebridge.com/patent-guide): Free guide to U.S. patent law: provisional and non-provisional applications, claims, patentability and USPTO prosecution. - [Wysebridge trademark law guide](https://wysebridge.com/trademark-guide): Free guide to U.S. trademark law: searching, TSDR, registration, office actions and TTAB disputes. - [Wysebridge copyright law guide](https://wysebridge.com/copyright-guide): Free guide to what copyright protects, registration, fair use, work made for hire and the DMCA. - [Wysebridge trade secret law guide](https://wysebridge.com/trade-secret-guide): Free guide to trade secrets: what qualifies, the DTSA and UTSA, NDAs and misappropriation. - [Wysebridge IP glossary](https://wysebridge.com/ip-glossary): Definitions of trademark, patent and USPTO terms, from specimens to the Madrid Protocol. - [Wysebridge U.S. IP law course](https://wysebridge.com/ip-law-course): A 20-chapter self-study course on U.S. patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret law; module 1 is free. - [Wysebridge IP law courses and certificates](https://wysebridge.com/ip-law-courses): Self-study IP law courses and professional certificate programs for founders, engineers and in-house teams. - [Wysebridge IP law in the age of AI course](https://wysebridge.com/ip-ai-course): How generative AI affects copyright, patent, trademark and trade secret law, in 18 chapters. - [Wysebridge U.S. IP law for international professionals](https://wysebridge.com/us-ip-law-for-international-professionals): A certificate for professionals outside the U.S. who coordinate with U.S. counsel or enter the U.S. market. - [Learn patent law free at Wysebridge](https://wysebridge.com/free): Free patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret guides, MPEP flashcards and more, with no account needed. - [Find a USPTO-registered patent attorney or agent](https://wysebridge.com/professionals): Profiles of USPTO-registered patent attorneys and agents, built from the public USPTO roster. Covers patent practitioners, not trademark-only lawyers. - [Patent attorneys and agents near you (map)](https://wysebridge.com/professionals/map): Pick a state, then a city, to see registered patent practitioners and firms there. ## Optional - [Full site text](https://revolutionarystartups.com/llms-full.txt) - [Sitemap](https://revolutionarystartups.com/sitemap.xml)