@t0k People do, wrongly, use it to refer to any type of new company. And that’s just great as far as Silicon Valley and venture capitalists are concerned. They know what a real startup is but if there sustainable, ethical companies that self-identify using the term, that’s great for the brand. They can turn to those and say ‘look, not all startups are toxic, extractive, exploitative ventures…’ So it helps them a lot in resisting regulation…
@t0k … But would they ever invest a single cent in such a company? No, never.
If you want to know what is and what isn’t a real startup, just look at what Silicon Valley and venture capitalists invest in and what they don’t.