IBJ: What’s a startup? Most say it’s a company that’s young, disruptive and scalable

It’s a short word packed with a ton of meaning. But what exactly is a startup? Like so many things in business, there’s no simple definition—nor lots of agreement.

For some, a startup is any business enterprise in its first five years. But for many others, it’s a young, innovative company aimed at disrupting established markets or creating entirely new ones. (Think the early days of Uber, Airbnb and Netflix.) And for yet others, it’s a great business idea being tested in the real world, with low odds of surviving even a few years.

In short, it’s all about coming up with something new in the hopes that customers, investors, banks, vendors and regulators will love it. And often, that means doing the hard work on a shoestring in the very early stages. [continue reading]