That's like calling a newly established barber shop a startup. It's not.
The GP is working on a podcast hosting company. The market for people who want to host podcasts is miniscule. Large enough to sustain a company, sure. But that's not a startup.
While I personally buy into that definition too, it IS very much a valley centric definition that much of the rest of the world doesn't follow. At least, not to the letter. So be aware that you may be speaking to people outside of your bubble when throwing around black or white definitions like this, because they may have their own differing definitions.
Besides, there have been multiple "podcast startups" (by the valley-definition of startup) in the past.
If podcast hosting is used as a stepping stone into a more general market, that could work. But the GP indicated they were small and moved slowly, so they can't really leverage that.
It doesn't matter whether it originated in the valley. It's not like calling an elevator a lift. A startup is a technical term with a precise meaning. You can call your bar a startup if you want, but that doesn't make it true.
> A startup is a technical term with a precise meaning.
My point is that it's really not. The term existed before the valley-definition and it exists outside of the valley-definition. Yes, Paul Graham and others popularised that definition (and I personally think it's a good definition and usually use t as that), but it has existed and continues to exist with other meanings, so it's far from a "precise technical term".
If a rose by any other name smells just as sweet, then a business by any other name stays just as small.
If a business is small and stays small, then at best it's a failed startup. If it's designed to stay small, then it's not a startup at all.
You can argue any other point, but you can't avoid the growth criteria. And if you have that, either you grow quickly or your competitor will put you out of business.
My point is that a podcast hosting company has no growth potential. The target market is too small. A startup could use podcast hosting as a stepping stone toward a bigger market, but in absence of that, it's a business like any other. And there's no shame in admitting that.
But it's really strange to insist it's a startup when it's not. Imagine insisting that a desktop computer is a chair just because you can sit on it.
That "precise meaning" is not universally accepted (or even really all that popular). Paul Graham proposed it once, some people subscribe to that, but it's not universal, and I'd say YC and the greater VC community have a vested interest in ensuring companies like the one this comment chain is about are not viewed as startups.
It's not just quibbling. If you don't use that definition, then the word "startup" loses all meaning. It doesn't matter what other people call themselves.
I think companies that don't follow that definition have an agenda: startups are now prestigious, so they call themselves a startup in order to seem impressive.
You're just not going to get anywhere trying to argue word definition on the Internet, even (especially) where it matters the most, like where if you're wrong you've done wasted a decade of your life. You're just going to get drowned out by people with way more invested in their failure than you have in your success.
If we all accept a definition that becomes the new meaning. It depends on the group listening. Language changes because its based on society at large defining the rules.
Google search defines a startup as "a newly established business".
Dictionary.com says "a new business venture, or a new commercial or industrial project".
Merriam-Webster says "a fledgling business enterprise".
I don't mean to be difficult but it's annoying that some folks on HN insist that PG's definition of "startup" is the only possible one. It's a useful definition, but people who use it the non-PG way are not wrong either.
So by that logic, a startup which which provides barber to your doorstep to trim your hair is not a startup ? Also, what about start-ups selling fruits/vegetables ?
That's like calling a newly established barber shop a startup. It's not.
The GP is working on a podcast hosting company. The market for people who want to host podcasts is miniscule. Large enough to sustain a company, sure. But that's not a startup.