Glossary

Agile Manifesto

A set of values and principles created to improve project management in complex and fast-changing environments. It promotes iteration, continuous feedback, and customer focus.

Audience-Centered Communication

A communication approach that focuses on tailoring the message to meet the needs, interests, and expectations of the audience, ensuring greater engagement and effectiveness.

Authenticity

The quality of being genuine, transparent, and true to one’s values and identity. In leadership and speaking, authenticity enhances trust and connection with others.

Automation Workflow

A sequence of steps triggered automatically by software to replace manual tasks and improve efficiency.

Bootstrapping

A funding approach where the startup uses personal savings or initial revenues to operate, without external investors

Business Model Canvas

A strategic template used to develop new business models and document existing ones.

Cash flow

denotes the movement of monetary resources within a business over a specified period and comprises cash inflows (receipts) and cash outflows (payments) arising from operating, investing, and financing activities.

Dashboard

A visual interface that consolidates and displays data metrics to support real-time decision-making.

Elevator pitch

A short, persuasive summary of your startup, usually under 60 seconds, designed to spark interest in informal or time-limited settings.

Emotional Intelligence (EI)

The capacity to recognize, understand, manage, and influence one’s own emotions and the emotions of others. It includes self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.

Empathy

The ability to understand and share the feelings and perspectives of others. Empathy is a key component of emotional intelligence and essential for effective leadership and communication.

Entrepreneurial Opportunity

A favorable set of circumstances for creating new products or businesses.

Equity

A funding model where an investor receives ownership shares in exchange for capital.

Financial literacy

refers to the body of economic knowledge, analytical skills, and practical competencies that enable individuals to understand financial information and to make informed, rational, and effective decisions regarding the acquisition, use, and management of financial resources.

Financial modeling

is an analytical approach used to evaluate a startup’s economic potential by constructing quantitative representations of its financial performance. It primarily involves forecasting revenues, costs, and cash flows through data analysis, assumptions, and performance indicators to support planning and decision-making.

Hero’s journey

A storytelling framework that follows a character through a challenge, transformation, and resolution often used to structure startup narratives.

KPI (Key Performance Indicator)

Quantitative metrics used to evaluate a startup’s performance, such as CAC or churn rate.

Lean Startup

A methodology for developing businesses and products by shortening product development cycles.

Low-Code / No-Code

Development platforms that allow users to create apps with little or no coding using drag-and-drop interfaces.

MVP (Minimum Viable Product)

A basic version of a product built with minimal features to validate a business idea with real users.

MVP (Minimum Viable Product)

The simplest version of a product that allows testing core assumptions with minimal resources

Non-verbal communication

Information conveyed through body language, gestures, facial expressions, and tone of voice critical to building trust and engagement during a pitch.

Pitch Deck

A short presentation (usually in slides) used to communicate a startup’s value proposition, team, market, and funding needs to investors.

Pitch deck

A visual presentation (typically 7–12 slides) used to communicate the core elements of a startup such as problem, solution, team, and market to investors or stakeholders.

Pivot

A strategic shift (e.g. product, target market, business model) based on feedback or partial failure, aimed at finding a more viable path.

Product Backlog

A dynamic list of all features, ideas, or fixes planned for the product. It is managed by the Product Owner and constantly updated based on customer value.

Scrum Master

A role that guides the Agile team by facilitating processes, removing obstacles, and ensuring adherence to Scrum practices.

Stage Fright

A form of performance anxiety characterized by fear or nervousness before or during public speaking, often caused by fear of judgment or failure.

Startup budgeting

structured managerial process that involves the systematic planning, forecasting, and allocation of a startup’s financial resources. It encompasses the formulation of financial objectives, the projection of expected revenues and expenditures, and the distribution of funds in order to support operational efficiency and strategic development.

Startup cash flow management

is the continuous process of planning, monitoring, and regulating cash inflows and outflows within a startup in order to maintain liquidity, meet short-term obligations, and ensure financial sustainability.

Story Point

A relative unit of measurement estimating the effort needed to complete a task or user story. It helps plan team capacity and is not tied to actual time.

Value Proposition

The distinct value a company promises to deliver to its customers.

Value proposition

A clear explanation of the unique value your product or service delivers to its target audience, answering the question: “Why should anyone care?”