Phrases Definitions
Does anyone make money around here?
This question means different things depending on who's asking it and when.
1. When customers start asking this, the company is Pre-Revenue.
2. When investors start asking this, it's about to be a Down Round.
3. When the founders start asking this, it's been an Awesome Journey.
1: http://svdictionary.com/words/pre-revenue
2: http://svdictionary.com/words/down-round
3: http://svdictionary.com/words/awesome-journey
employeeNumbaOne over 8 years agoI Could've Built That Fallacy
The fallacy in which someone believes that they were capable of building something before an already more popular version of a product has come out.
In many instances this fallacy is contained by engineers working at companies or in academia in an indirect attempt to belittle the success of founders, claiming how trivial it is to build said app. It can also be a feeble attempt to make up for their unrealized internal inferiority complex. In reality they might have been able to code it, but not conceive it's details, key features, and brand identity.
George suffered from the I could've built that fallacy for weeks after Snapchat received an offer from Facebook for over a billion dollars in talked about acquisition. He built his own version while working at Google, but it only had 5 users. He was happy he didn't quit his day job.
yungsnuggie over 9 years agoAgreed
Do the Needful
Usually coined by Tech workers of East Indian descent, in context means I have to do what I have to do to get the job done or to keep my Boss from firing me.
"Yes, we have to do the Needful to beta test this new code by Friday"
Hammer over 9 years agoOnly applies to esteemed organizations though ;)
X for Y
A way entrepreneurs use to describe their startup to customers and investors so they can quickly grasp how their product works. It is done by comparing your startup to another successful company that likely pioneered its business model.
My startup is Airbnb for cars = people can borrow your car when you are not using it
My startup is Uber for food = food will be delivered to you on demand
My startup is Urban Dictionary for Silicon Valley = svdictionary.com
zazpowered over 9 years agoI want advice
What startup founders will tell VCs when they really want funding but don't want to ask directly because they think they will be shot down right away.
John: Hey Marc Andreessen. We have this new app that's like Vine except the videos are 10 seconds long because we think that's more optimal. I would like some advice.
Marc: Do you really want advice or are you just here for funding? I prefer when people are direct.
John: Sorry we really just wanted funding.
Marc: No
pygmyknight over 9 years agoIn the wild
Seeing a new technology out in the real world, not just at launches and demos.
Have you spotted the new Google car in the wild yet?
spectrumed over 9 years agoJust go start a company
Common advice given in Silicon Valley due to the current rockstar status of entrepreneurs and how easy and affordable it has become to start a company. Tools like AWS, Heroku and Rails have made it easy for new developers to put up simple websites and mobile apps to validate their ideas. Online coding education such as Codecademy is getting better and becoming more commonplace. With all that said, not everyone is suited to be entrepreneur, companies need employees and being a successful entrepreneur is not as easy as it may seem based on the number of funding announcements you see on TechCrunch.
http://techcrunch.com/2014/07/20/the-problem-with-founders/
Boss: I think you have too much potential to be working here as an early employee. Just go start a company.
David: I don't really want to. The last idea I attempted was an on-demand cat walking service and it failed so badly I don't want to ever do it again.
Boss: I'll be honest. That sounds pretty bad... but I still think you should start a company.
zazpowered over 9 years agoHow Do You Like Them Apples
A dorky (and almost non-sensical) Bay Area expression often used, when Apple releases a new version of their products, in an attempt to belittle someone else's older model and mock the slow pace in which they've adopted the new product.
Originally taken out of context from a popular scene of the film, Good Will Hunting, where Matt Damon slaps a post-it note onto a diner window proclaiming his superiority after getting a girl's phone number.
I just got the iWatch 2 bitches. How do you like them apples?
yungsnuggie over 9 years agoNo Free Lunch
A theorem which states that tech companies offering not free lunch are making profit off their employees.
Commonly used by companies such as amazon, Microsoft and Apple to get overpaid staff's salary back
Founder: I had an alternative stream of revenue idea using no free lunch theorem Co-founder: worked for Apple and Amazon, should work for us!
JonWilkins over 9 years agoThat's Startup Life
The default response whenever someone talks about how shitty being an entrepreneur is.
Kim: I've been working for the past 15 hours, can't afford anything but Taco Bell and investors are telling me they want to circle back in a few months. We all know what that means. This sucks.
Matthew: That's startup life. What do you expect?
zazpowered over 9 years agoAdding Wheels To A Moving Car
Expecting the design or development team to scope a feature without definition or complete explanation while the product is being built.
Them: "How long would it take you to add this feature to the product?"
You: "I'm not sure I understand what the product and feature even is, let alone how to estimate it."
Them: "Well, just give me a ballpark..."
You: "That would be like adding wheels to a moving car."
RobotCowboy over 9 years agoDoes anyone make money around here?
Users of venture backed startups and residents of Silicon Valley ask this question frequently. They do not understand how a lot of social apps such as Snapchat and Facebook (before they started to run ads) are able to raise so much money at sky high valuations without generating revenue.
For on demand services such as Uber, Instacart and Caviar they do not understand how signup credit, promo codes and referral credit can be offered so frequently.
Jim: Let me get this straight. Snapchat is worth $10 billion now and they haven't made any money? Just now I read Uber is offering $100 signup credit, $50 credit for every friend I refer and a one time promo code of $20 off of my first ride. Does anyone make money around here? Tim: You realize Uber has raised $1 billion dollars every month for the past 12 months right?
zazpowered over 9 years agoNo Free Lunch
An expression known all to well to employees at Apple Inc, who are required to pay for their own lunch.
Back at Google we'd get free food during all times of day, but here at Apple it comes out of my salary because there's no free lunch.
yungsnuggie over 9 years agoMaking the world a better place
Solving a very specific problem that loosely translates into a social benefit.
We are making the world a better place through P2P iBeacon messaging platforms.
dennis over 9 years agoLook at how much time sink we've created for evil people... with Reddit.
Buying the logo
Investors putting a tiny percentage of a fund into a company so they can claim credit. Credit to Sam Altman
Due to the success of Airbnb, some investors are buying the logo so they can put an Airbnb badge on their website.
zazpowered over 9 years agoAdd Me on Google Plus
A commonly used expression used during the first two weeks of the product's release.
I just got my invite, add me on Google Plus. This is going to destroy facebook
yungsnuggie over 9 years agoAwesome Journey
Used when a startup has failed. Intend to give a positive spin on what is a gut wrenching moment.
While our startup has failed, it has been an awesome journey.
beenpoor over 9 years agoAka a Medium post.
Also known as an "Incredible Journey", as in http://ourincrediblejourney.tumblr.com/
Solving Own Problem
A bullshit story founders present to lie on how they arrived at their product.
We built datemycate app because we wanted to solve our own problem to help our cat find a date. He was very horny all the time and was always flirty with my girlfriend.
beenpoor over 9 years agoIncredible opportunity
White lie to claim that an unknown number of users are having sleepless nights dreaming of your idea.
This is an incredible opportunity to make a difference in the life horny males by providing them a life sized doll.
beenpoor over 9 years agoThis changes everything
Nothing has changed. Pure marketing
See http://svdictionary.com/words/changing-the-world
Introducing the iPhone 4. This changes everything.
zazpowered over 9 years agoLove it. Although, I did love my iPhone 4S. And it still runs like ALL Apple products I have ever owned!
Doesn't change much to be honest, 99% marketing 1% decent phone
I hear this so often