Startup & VC Jargon · Managing Director level

"Default alive"

"Default alive" means a startup can reach profitability on its current trajectory without raising additional funding.

Say this instead: profitable without more funding

How "Default alive" shows up at work

The phrase gets dropped in board meetings and investor updates to signal financial discipline, often by founders who just discovered it in a Paul Graham essay. Its counterpart, "default dead," is usually left unspoken.

Buzzword

We're default alive through Q3 even at current burn.

Plain English

We can reach profitability on our own through Q3 even at current burn.

Corporate Rank: Managing Director · Category: Startup & VC Jargon

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