It's like saying "grownup". There is no hard-and-fast rule or time. IMO, there is some factor or ratio to where you are now vs. where you want to get to and a

It's like saying "grownup". There is no hard-and-fast rule or time. IMO, there is some factor or ratio to where you are now vs. where you want to get to and a matter of risk and acceleration involved in doing so. EG: if you're selling website templates and making $100K/year and want to make $250K/year and can do so mostly through basic growth with minimal risk, you're not a "startup". If you want to get to $25M/year and you're going to take some huge risks and leaps of faith to do so at a rapid pace, you are a startup.