In general, a startup is a business that doesn't yet have a stable customer base or business model. What you're describing is a "tech startup", and the modifie

In general, a startup is a business that doesn't yet have a stable customer base or business model. What you're describing is a "tech startup", and the modifier often gets dropped in the tech press, for obvious reasons. The investment press also drops the modifier, because few other startups are interesting to them.