Startup Glossary: Letter "A"

An Accelerator is a fixed-term, cohort-based program that supports early-stage startups through mentoring, education, and seed investments.

An Acquisition occurs when a larger corporation purchases a startup, absorbing its assets, technology, talent, and customer base.

An Advisory Board is an informal body of industry experts who provide advice, mentorship, and networking contacts to founders without corporate voting rights.

An Alternative Investment is any asset class outside of traditional public equities, bonds, and cash, including venture capital, private equity, and real estate.

An Angel Investor is a high-net-worth individual who provides early-stage capital to startups, typically using their personal funds.

An Anti-Dilution Provision is a contract clause that protects early investors from dilution if the startup issues shares at a lower valuation in subsequent rounds.

ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue) is a key metric for subscription-based businesses representing the predictable recurring revenue generated by active customers over a year.

Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) is the amount of revenue generated by an active customer account over a specific timeframe (usually monthly or annually).