🚀 The Valley of Death
Every great startup story begins with the "hustle." Founders often bootstrap their companies, using personal savings instead of outside money to keep full control. They work day and night to build an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) to test their idea in the real world.
However, the initial idea rarely works perfectly. Founders must be willing to pivot—changing their strategy based on user feedback. If they succeed, they might disrupt an entire industry, like Uber did to taxis.
To grow, they need cash. They might join an incubator for mentorship or seek an Angel Investor. But with investment comes pressure. Investors watch the burn rate (how fast the company spends cash) closely. In exchange for cash, founders give up equity (ownership).
The ultimate dream? To reach a valuation of $1 billion and become a Unicorn.
🧩 1. Startup Lingo Match
Match the **Startup Term** with its **Definition**. Matches will vanish!
💡 2. Founder Strategy
Choose the best answer based on the text.
1. What does it mean to "bootstrap" a company?
2. Why would a company "pivot"?
3. What defines a "Unicorn"?
📝 3. The CEO's Diary
Complete the diary entry with the correct word.
Day 1: We are officially ! No investors, just my credit card.
Day 90: We launched our today. It's basic, but it works.
Day 150: Users hate the features. We need to to a new model quickly.
Day 200: Hiring new engineers is expensive. Our is getting dangerously high.
Day 500: We did it! The new valuation makes us a !
💼 Founder's Portfolio
You have added 10 essential startup terms to your vocabulary.
- Bootstrap
- MVP
- Pivot
- Disrupt
- Incubator
- Angel Investor
- Burn Rate
- Equity
- Valuation
- Unicorn