Business
Why some startups don’t want to be called that
Welcome to The TechCrunch Exchange, a weekly startups-and-markets newsletter. It’s inspired by the daily TechCrunch+ column where it gets its name. Want it in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here.
When does a startup stop being a startup? It’s a tougher question than it seems — tech companies have found that there’s power in words. Let’s explore! — Anna
Startup versus scaleup
“We’re not a startup, we’re a scaleup,” marketing executive Cristina Marcos told me of her employer, interactive content creation platform Genially. This was actually one of the first things she said when we met in person earlier this week, and her emphasis really caught my attention.
On the one hand, it seems reasonable to say that a company like Genially, which has millions of users and raised more than $26 million in funding, is no longer a startup. On the other, “startup” is such a buzzword that it is interesting to see companies steering away from it.
That “scaleup” is Genially’s preferred term over “startup” is noteworthy. Joe Haslam, a professor at IE Business School in Madrid, has been arguing for almost a decade that “scaleup is the new startup.” But even he concedes that the “scaleup” term didn’t take off as much as he expected.
-
Business7 days ago
Checkfirst raises $1.5M pre-seed, applying AI to remote inspections and audits
-
Business5 days ago
AI chip startup DEEPX secures $80M Series C at a $529M valuation
-
Entertainment4 days ago
Jinkx Monsoon promises ‘the queerest season of ‘Doctor Who’ you’ve ever seen!’
-
Business4 days ago
StrictlyVC London welcomes Phoenix Court and WEX
-
Business6 days ago
Retell AI lets businesses build ‘voice agents’ to answer phone calls
-
Entertainment4 days ago
How to watch every ‘Law and Order’ online in 2024
-
Entertainment4 days ago
BookTok and teens: What parents need to know
-
Entertainment5 days ago
'House of the Dragon' recap: Every death, ranked by gruesomeness