Entrepreneur Dictionary for Startups

The entrepreneur dictionary for startups contains terms and definitions commonly used by entrepreneurs, investors, accelerators, and others who interact with startup ventures and startup financing.
For more entrepreneur resources check out our Acronyms for Startups, Infographics, or Startup FAQ.

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WACC - Weighted Average Cost of Capital

Walking Dead - A company that isn't bankrupt, but will never succeed, and thus can't be sold or otherwise exited.⁷

Wantrepreneur - An individual who continuously ponders, desires or wants to start a business, acts as if they are an entrepreneur but fails to take the steps necessary to establish and operate a business.⁶

Warrant - A type of security that entitles the holder to buy a proportionate amount of common stock or preferred stock at a specified price for a period of years. Warrants are usually issued together with a loan, a bond, or preferred stock and act as sweeteners, to enhance the marketability of the accompanying securities. They are also known as stock-purchase warrants and subscription warrants.³

Waterfall - The order in which investors (and everyone else) get their money out on an exit. Almost always this is "last in, first out."⁷

Website - An organized property made up of a group of connected pages on the World Wide Web, (Internet) that are considered a single entity.⁶
- Synonyms: Internet

Week over Week - A financial comparison which examines a specified performance factor for a specified week with the same performance factor for the previous week. Week over Week comparisons can can be direct comparing the actual performance factors, or differences between the factors in either absolute or percentage terms.⁶
- Synonyms: WoW

Weighted Average Antidilution - The investor’s conversion price is reduced, and thus the number of common shares received on conversion increased, in the case of a down round; it takes into account both: (a) the reduced price and, (b) how many shares (or rights) are issued in the dilutive financing.³

White Paper - A white paper is a proposal, report, or other informational document created by a company or non-profit with an emphasis on a product, service, or solution.
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Williams Act of 1968 - An amendment of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 that regulates tender offers and other takeover-related actions such as larger share purchases.³

Wireframe - A visual depiction in the form of a schematic or blueprint that represents the framework of a website and related web pages. Typically low tech, it lacks in "look and feel" characteristics, focusing more on the layout of the pages and arrangement of the content including potential navigational processes.⁶

WOM - Word of Mouth

Working Capital - In accounting terms, it is the difference between current assets and current liabilities that can be turned into cash. Positive Working Capital means that the company has sufficient liquid assets to cover its short term liabilities (expenses).⁶

Workout - A negotiated agreement between the debtor and its creditors outside the bankruptcy process.³

World Business Angel Association - (WBAA) A non-government organization whose direct members are national federations, which in turn represent business angel groups and networks in their respective countries. Neither business angel groups themselves, nor individual business angel investors, are members of WBAA, although they may be involved with the organization in other ways and participate actively in its programs. Countries whose national business angel federations are represented in the organization include Australia, Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, New Zealand, Panama, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as the European Union.¹

WoW - Week over Week

Write-off - The act of changing the value of an asset to an expense or a loss. A write-off is used to reduce or eliminate the value of an asset and reduce profits.³

Write-up/Write-down - An upward or downward adjustment of the value of an asset for accounting and reporting purposes. These adjustments are estimates and tend to be subjective, although they are usually based on events affecting the investee company or its securities beneficially or detrimentally.³

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