A/B testing, also known as split testing, is a method used in marketing and product development to compare two versions of a webpage or app to determine which one performs better. It involves dividing the audience into two groups, with each group being shown a different version of the webpage or app. The performance of each version is then measured and analyzed to determine which one leads to better outcomes, such as higher conversion rates or increased user engagement.

Anti-money laundering (AML) is the general term for the laws, rules, and processes that prevent money laundering. Customer due diligence is applied to screening and validating prospective clients under Know Your Client (KYC) standards.

AR is an interactive experience that combines the real world and computer-generated content. The content can span multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory and olfactory. AR can be defined as a system that incorporates three basic features: a combination of real and virtual worlds, real-time interaction, and accurate 3D registration of virtual and real objects

A metric commonly used in SaaS to measure the revenue generated by an average customer or user over a certain period. ARPU can track revenue changes over time and compare the performance of different products or services. It also helps inform pricing, marketing, and customer acquisition strategy decisions.

Annual recurring revenue is predictable income that a business receives each year. Annualised version of MRR.

A startup acceleration program is a structured and often mentor-based program designed to help early-stage startup companies grow and scale rapidly. These programs offer various forms of support, guidance, and resources to assist startups in achieving their goals

The act of acquiring a company for the purpose of hiring the team behind it. Key employees may be tied in for a specified period of time.

An acquisition is when one company or investment group buys another company. This is a common mechanism for exit.

A group of experts and specialists selected by a company’s CEO and management team to provide advice and support for business development. A board of advisors is an opportunity for startups to fill skill gaps in leadership and, ideally, get unbiased perspectives. Board advisors tend to specialize in a particular area of knowledge, such as finance, law, product development, or accounting.

Agile methodology is a project management framework that breaks projects down into several dynamic phases, commonly known as sprints. The Agile framework is an iterative methodology. After every sprint, teams reflect and look back to see if there was anything that could be improved so they can adjust their strategy for the next sprint.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the ability of a computer or a robot controlled by a computer to do tasks that are usually done by humans because they require human intelligence and discernment.

A pre-release version of a product. This is often still part of the testing process.

Web analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis, and reporting of web data to understand and optimise web usage.

An angel investor is someone who invests their own capital into the growth of a business at an early stage.

A contractual clause that protects an investor from having their investment (as a percentage of ownership) significantly reduced in subsequent fundraising rounds

Shares in a company that have been sold publicly. They fall within the maximum number of shares a company can sell according to the corporate charter.

When the customer and the end user is a business

B2B2C represents a business model where a company sells its products or services to other businesses (B2B) with the ultimate aim of reaching and serving their end consumers (B2C) through those intermediary businesses.

Represents a business model where a company sells its products or services directly to individual consumers who are the end-users. In a B2C transaction, there is no intermediary between the business and the consumer.

Represents a business model where companies sell their products or services to government entities at the federal, state, or local level. In a B2G transaction, businesses are the suppliers, and government agencies are the customers.

Big Hairy Audacious Goal. An extremely ambitious target to motivate progress.

The BMC is a strategic management tool that helps businesses visually map out and analyze their business model. It provides a structured framework for businesses to understand and communicate key aspects of their business, such as customer segments, value propositions, channels, customer relationships, revenue streams, key resources, key activities, key partnerships, and cost structure.

Back-end refers to the part of a software application or website that is responsible for processing and storing data. It is the behind-the-scenes functionality that is not visible to the user but is essential for the proper functioning of the application.

A financial statement that reports a company's assets, liabilities, and shareholder equity. This is used to evaluate the business at the date of publication.

A beta release is a version of a software or product that is made available to a limited number of users for testing and feedback purposes. It is typically the second phase of software testing, following the alpha release.

A cryptocurrency, a virtual currency designed to act as money and a form of payment outside the control of any one person, group, or entity, thus removing the need for third-party involvement in financial transactions. It is rewarded to blockchain miners for the work done to verify transactions and can be purchased on several exchanges.

Blockchain is a decentralized digital ledger technology that records transactions across multiple computers in a secure and immutable way. It consists of a chain of blocks, each containing a set of transactions. These blocks are linked together in chronological order, forming a chain, hence the name "blockchain."

Blue ocean is a business strategy focusing on creating new market spaces rather than competing in existing ones. A red ocean is an existing market with many competitors, while a blue ocean is a market yet to be discovered with no competitors

A Board of Directors (BoD) is the governing body of a company or organization responsible for overseeing its strategic direction, decision-making, and overall management. The board is typically composed of a group of individuals elected or appointed to represent the interests of the company's shareholders or stakeholders

A startup which is able to self-finance, often eliminating the need for seed or angel investment rounds. This can be achieved through early revenue generation, lean operations.

Bounce rate is a metric that measures the percentage of website visitors who leave a website after viewing only one page. It indicates the level of engagement and interest of visitors on a website. A high bounce rate typically suggests that visitors are not finding what they are looking for or are not engaged with the content, while a low bounce rate indicates that visitors are exploring multiple pages and engaging with the website. Bounce rate can be influenced by various factors such as website design, content relevance, loading speed, and user experience.

Short-term funding that helps the startup access money in between rounds of funding. A bridge may be non-dilutive (bridge loan) or dilutive (bridge round). A bridge is usually not perceived as a positive signal as it indicates the company didn't reach its expected target, hence the need for a bridge.

A bubble describes a timeframe in an economic ecosystem where an industry does not realise that it might be overvalued and over-inflated.

Rate at which a company spends cash reserves to cover expenses, expressed monthly or weekly. Usually applied to a company with little or no revenues.

The term business model refers to a company's plan for making a profit. It identifies the products or services the business plans to sell, its identified target market, and any anticipated expenses.

An investment transaction where one party buys all or the majority of a company's shares to gain control of the target company.

An important metric in unit economics, the CAC allows a company to keep track of how much it costs to acquire a new customer. Calculated as direct acquisition costs (generally marketing and sales expenses) divided by the number of new customers, the CAC allows a startup to understand which channels deliver the best ROI for marketing spend.

The CBDO is responsible for establishing and executing the organization's Business Development strategy, which includes: identifying unique non-organic growth opportunities, including partnerships, alliances, collaborations, platforms, etc.

A startup CEO is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the business, including developing and implementing overall strategy, building and leading a strong team, raising capital, and establishing partnerships with stakeholders.

The CFO plays a critical role in managing fundraising and investor relations to ensure the company has adequate financial resources to support growth and innovation.

A chief marketing officer (CMO) is the executive in charge of an organisation's strategic marketing initiatives. They steer the overarching direction of a brand's marketing communications.

A chief product officer (CPO) is the executive in charge of an organisation's strategic product initiatives. They steer the overarching direction of a brand's product, including features and how to articulate them.

CRM refers to the process (but is generally synonymous with software enabling the process) of keeping track of and managing customer relationships.

A chief revenue officer is a corporate officer responsible for all revenue generation processes in an organization. In this role, a CRO is accountable for driving better integration and alignment between all revenue-related functions, including marketing, sales, customer support, pricing, and revenue management

CRUD stands for Create, Read, Update, and Delete. It is a set of basic operations that can be performed on data in a database or any other persistent storage system.

The Chief Sales Officer (CSO) takes charge of your company's sales department, steering it towards achieving revenue and sales growth objectives. Their main focus is on sealing deals, which involves overseeing various aspects, including sales team training, daily operations, and customer relationship management.

A chief technology officer (CTO) is the executive in charge of an organisation's technological needs and strategic decision making in terms of tech. Often in technology start-ups the CTO is a co-founder and/or shareholder.

The investment of corporate funds into external startup companies.

An official document that described the capital structure of a startup, generally used to view the percentage ownership that each investor or employee owns of the company.

Capital is a term for financial assets, such as funds held in deposit accounts and/or funds obtained from special financing sources such as investment or loans.