Practice startup culture vocabulary: remote-first, running lean, wearing multiple hats, iterating fast, pre-revenue growth metrics, and equity vesting schedules.
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A startup says 'we're a remote-first team'. What does remote-first mean vs. remote-friendly?
Remote-first means remote work is the default state — meetings, documentation, and collaboration tools are all designed for async, distributed teams. Remote-friendly, by contrast, means the company allows remote work but is primarily designed around an office. Remote-first teams typically use tools like Notion, Slack, and Loom heavily.
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'We run lean.' What does this phrase mean in a startup context?
'Running lean' means operating with minimal waste — small teams, low overhead, scrappy execution. It's inspired by the Lean Startup methodology (Eric Ries) but also describes a general mindset: don't hire before you need to, don't spend on tools you don't use, and focus resources on the highest-impact activities.
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'The team is wearing multiple hats.' What does this idiom mean?
'Wearing multiple hats' means each person takes on several roles simultaneously. In early-stage startups, a developer might also handle DevOps, a designer might do user research, and a founder might do sales and customer support. This is driven by limited headcount and budget — everyone does what needs doing.
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'We're pre-revenue but growing MoM.' What does MoM mean and why does it matter pre-revenue?
MoM (Month-on-Month) growth is a key metric showing percentage change compared to the prior month. Pre-revenue startups use it to demonstrate traction — even without income, strong MoM growth in users, sign-ups, or engagement signals that product-market fit may be emerging and that the company is worth investing in.
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'The founding team's equity vests over 4 years.' What is equity vesting?
Equity vesting means founders and employees earn their equity over a period rather than receiving it all upfront. A typical schedule is 4 years with a 1-year cliff: nothing vests until 12 months in, then 25% vests at month 12, then monthly or quarterly after that. This protects the company if a co-founder leaves early — they only keep the equity they've earned.