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Stop telling people what not to do. Wikipedia gives the following as a description for a startup "A startup company or startup is a company with a limited opera
by rokhayakebe 16y ago
Stop telling people what not to do. Wikipedia gives the following as a description for a startup "A startup company or startup is a company with a limited operating history. These companies, generally newly created, are in a phase of development and research for markets.". So yes, a two hour project can be a startup, just like a lemonade stand.
- bmull 16y agoThis is a great description, and I really appreciate you posting it. I might update my blog with it, and really should have looked at Wikipedia too. Thanks. You make my point perfectly. Wikipedia is very clear to call it a "company." That's what I'm saying. Two hour projects aren't companies (unless they file to be an entity, which I believe makes it a startup - 3rd qualification bullet in the post).
- ohashi 16y agoSuppose we could change that definition, it is wikipedia after all.
- danielharan 16y agoActually, the Wikipedia definition is also pretty useless. What's a "limited operating history"? Steve Blank put it best: "a startup is an organization formed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model" You could be searching for a repeatable and scalable business model in a week-end, which would be awesome. Most people don't, and I find it really irritating that these projects get called startups.
- hisabness 16y agoi guess a computer scientist isn't a computer scientist unless he or she has a piece of paper to prove it
- kingsidharth 16y agoParadox: You are actually telling him "not to do something".
- karolist 16y agoNo, two hour project is not a company and thus not a startup. Lemonade stand and two hour projects are startups when they have a legal entity, registered name, employees and pays taxes. Author is right, there's too much "take a look at my startup I've created during my lunch/on commute to work" posts thrown around. Time to man up and call things for what they are.