About the Technology Startups training

What makes a startup different from a small business? Speed, scale, and—often—substantial outside investment. Startups aren’t just smaller versions of big companies—they play by a different set of rules. They grow faster, take bigger risks, and measure success in entirely different ways. From their funding paths to their org charts, from the jargon they use to the metrics that matter, startups operate in a world of their own.

This primer unpacks it all. We’ll cover the types of startups, the lifecycle they follow, the investors that fund them, the economics behind their growth, how they're organized, and the trends shaping what comes next.

Learning objectives

By the end of this primer, you will be able to:

• Distinguish startups from other early-stage businesses based on growth potential and scalability

• Identify key types of startups by domain, technology, end market, and lifecycle stage

• Describe the major funding stages and the types of investors involved at each stage

• Analyze core startup metrics such as ARR growth, CAC, LTV, runway, and burn rate

• Understand the common functional roles within startups and how leadership evolves as the company grows

• Understand current and emerging trends in the startup ecosystem, including the impact of AI